After a busy two weeks inspecting yearlings on the Gold Coast, the Victorian-based and US-owned Spendthrift Australia purchased Lot 117, a colt by champion first season sire Zoustar (Northern Meteor) for $900,000.
General Manager of Spendthrift Australia, Garry Cuddy knew the competition on him would be fierce as he was "a good-looking horse, a standout."
"We had him down as the best Zoustar colt at the sale, and when young stallions are going as well as Zoustar, you have got to dig deep into your pockets and hope you end up with the horse that you want," Cuddy said. "We are very happy to have him in the stable."
"There were plenty of good judges on him, so congratulations to the people who purchased him as a weanling because they have turned a good profit on him."
A possible addition to the Spendthrift's Victorian stallion roster, it was encouraging to see studs investing in the Victorian breeding industry.
"Each year we attend the yearling sales and we aim to buy horses that are first of all, the right physical type to be a racehorse, and then we take into account their pedigrees and evaluate their appeal as a Stallion should all go to plan. This sale we have walked away with high quality colts that are by stallions that are producing the future stallion prospects."
The Zoustar colt is the third foal out of American Listed-winning mare Shakeira (Freud), with the US element of his pedigree adding extra appeal for Spendthrift Australia's stallion shuttle plans.
Shakeira was sold in foal to Zoustar for $90,000 to Kingstar Farm's Matthew Sandblom at the 2017 Magic Millions Gold Coast National Broodmare Sale from the draft of Widden Stud. The resultant weanling was bought for $310,000 at last year's Magic Millions Gold Coast National Weanling Sale.
An imposing type, the Zoustar colt would have international appeal on a reverse shuttle basis as not only is he a well-credentialed Australian stallion, but he would also be attractive to American breeders with his strong female US pedigree.
"The exciting part about buying horses out of the American mares is that there is a lot of blood on that page that we don't have here. Zoustar has got a little bit of Danehill in him, but not too much, which is great," he said.
Spendthrift picked up five yearlings from the Gold Coast including another Zoustar colt, Lot 816 for $550,000, that Cuddy also complimented on type and looks out of the Testa Rossa mare, Miss Lombardi. A colt by Written Tycoon out of Lady Dynamo from Sledmere Stud and a Medaglia d'Oro colt out of Curtana from Hesket Bloodstock.
"No decision has been made on who will train our purchases.We like to break them in and see how many we have bought, before we decide on their future plans."
News from TBV
