Zoustar Cracks 200 Australian Winners for Season

Tara Madgwick - Friday July 5

Widden Stud’s champion sire Zoustar was the world’s leading sire of winners in 2023 and passed a milestone on Friday when racking up his 200th Australian winner of the season and shortly after his 201st!

Dillinger wins by daylight at Ballarat - image Reg Ryan / Racing Photos

Bringing up the 200 in style was the Tony and Calvin McEvoy trained four year-old gelding Dillinger, who blitzed his rivals to win the 1500m Benchmark 64 event by six lengths as favourite.

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A maiden winner in January 2023, Dillinger has taken a while to find his second win, but two recent placings put the writing on the wall.

A $250,000 Inglis Premier purchase from Edinburgh Park for McEvoy Mitchell / Belmont Bloodstock, Dillinger is one of five winners from five to race from well bred mare Sticky Fingers, who comes from the family of Group I winners Criterion and Comin’ Through.

Click to see the full list at Breednet, fully interactive sire tables.

Zoustar becomes only the second stallion in history to achieve the feat of siring 200 plus Australian winners in a season with I Am Invincible doing it twice. He sired 208 winners in the 2020/2021 season to set the all-time record and then 202 winners last season.

With three more weeks of the season to come Zoustar is a real chance of breaking his record with his seasonal winner to runner strike rate running at 55.2%.

Zoustar hits 200 winners!

Zoustar will cover a full book at Widden this spring at a fee of $275,000.

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Race Result - Sportsbet Jockey Watch (Bm64) 1500m

Ballarat Synthetic Track: Synthetic Time: 1:30.37
1
Dillinger
- 4g Zoustar (AUS) x Sticky Fingers (AUS) (Duke Of Marmalade (IRE))
Tnr: T & C McEvoy Rdr: Beau Mertens 58.5
2
6
Perfect Gold
- 3f Gold Standard (AUS) x Perfect Scout (AUS) (Charge Forward (AUS))
Tnr: Ben, Will & Jd Hayes Rdr: B Mc Dougall 59
3
6.8
Allibor
- 6g All Too Hard (AUS) x Libor Lady (USA) (Exchange Rate (USA))
Tnr: Ben, Will & Jd Hayes Rdr: A Darmanin 60
4
8
Queen Of Deels
- 4m Dundeel (NZ) x Causeway Queen (AUS) (Giant's Causeway (USA))
Tnr: C Maher Rdr: John Allen 59
5
11
Berry Foxie
- 4m Rommel (AUS) x Strawberries (AUS) (Strategic (AUS))
Tnr: Henry Dwyer Rdr: Jack Hill 56
6
11.2
Hostile Takeover
- 10g Host (CHI) x Miss Rose (AUS) (Grand Lodge (USA))
Tnr: John Eady Rdr: Harry Grace 54
7
12.9
Bomber's Kiss
- 6g Smart Missile (AUS) x The Fairy's Kiss (AUS) (Elusive Quality (USA))
Tnr: Matt & Louise Cooper Rdr: Ms J Kennedy 56.5
8
13.1
Apollo Blu
- 6g Dalghar (FR) x Ocean Run (NZ) (Al Akbar (AUS))
Tnr: B T Malanczyn Rdr: Rose Hammond 55.5
9
23.1
Whiskyontherocks
- 4g Thronum (AUS) x Jurasound (AUS) (Von Costa De Hero (AUS))
Tnr: Lucinda Boyd Rdr: Jordyn Weatherley 59.5
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