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Historic Southern Highlands property The Chase will present their inaugural Inglis Easter Yearling Sale draft in 2023. The property, purchased in 2014 by China Horse Club’s Teo Ah Khing, has been extensively upgraded into a boutique Thoroughbred property.
“We are bringing a small but select group of three Zoustar yearlings with great pedigrees to Easter,” said Michael Smith. “As our debut draft, we are excited to offer the market the progeny of three incredible mares. A colt out of a champion, First Seal, another colt out of a sister to a champion, Lankan Rupee, and a filly out of a G3 winning daughter of the all-conquering broodmare sire Exceed And Excel. Our breeding program is really starting to hit its stride with Communist saluting in the Randwick Guineas, Revolutionary Miss nearly annexing both the Blue Diamond and 1000 Guineas, and Perfect Proposal making her presence felt in the Gimcrack. I firmly believe any or all of The Chase’s three Easter offerings could be their eventual buyer’s next #chcbred star.”
The Chase has three yearlings by dual Gr1 winning sprinter Zoustar (Northern Meteor) who is emerging as one of the hottest sires in Australia with 34 stakes winners in his six crops, and already has two stakes winners with his current two year-olds. Zourion recently won the Gr2 Matamata Breeders’ Stakes, while Platinum Jubilee won the Gr3 Gimcrack Stakes back in October.
Zoustar’s local Gr1 winners are Champion 3YO Filly and triple Gr1 winner Sunlight, Newmarket Handicap-Gr1 winner Zoutori, Canterbury Stakes-Gr1 winner Mizzy, and Flight Stakes-Gr1 winner Zougotcha; while his first Northern Hemisphere crop have just turned three and already including Cheveley Park Stakes-Gr1 winner Lezoo.
The Chase’s yearling colt, Lot 137, has a stallion’s pedigree being by Zoustar out of Champion Sprinter First Seal (Fastnet Rock). The form around First Seal is stunning. Winner of three of her first four starts as a three year-old, First Seal beat Winx in the Gr2 Tea Rose Stakes and again in the Gr1 Flight Stakes. Winx went on to be a four-time Cox Plate winner, while First Seal took on more of the best horses of her generation, running second in the Gr1 Spring Champion Stakes. Back in the autumn, she was a Gr2 winner and placed twice in Gr1 company, before continuing her form at four. Winx got her revenge in the Gr1 George Ryder Stakes, but First Seal picked up more Gr1 placings, before winning another Gr2 at five.
As a broodmare, First Seal has left two city winners from her first two foals to race, and with both of them still in racework, there is more room for upgrades to her record. Her Zoustar yearling colt in The Chase’s Easter draft is her third foal.
First Seal is out of dual Gr1 winner Episode (Scenic), who also left Gr2 winner Book of Kells and two other stakes placed winners, as well as the dam of Gr3 winner Teleplay.
“He is an athletic colt with a very good walk and outlook, he is correct and is light on his feet, he is well balanced and will develop into a strong imposing colt. He has good size and scope with an attractive head and his dam’s class,” said Alex Kingston.
The first foal of a city winning three-quarter-sister to Horse of the Year Lankan Rupee is Lot 178. Inspired Estelle (Manhattan Rain) won four races, one at two, and was twice fourth in group company as a three year-old. Her dam, Estelle Collection was a Gr3 winner who left Lankan Rupee (Redoute’s Choice), and pedigree experts will note that Manhattan Rain and Redoute’s Choice are both out of Shantha’s Choice, creating the three-quarter-sibling connection between Lankan Rupee and Inspired Estelle. Lot 178 has a stallion’s pedigree, with his third dam being closely related to Grosvenor and Lonhro.
“He is a very forward strong colt with a good attitude to his work, he is well balanced, correct and mature. He has good bone, a short cannon and a very muscular hindquarter and gaskin. He has that great Zoustar action and walks with purpose. A very fast looking horse with the strength to sustain it.”`
Zoustar filly, Lot 456, is the fourth foal of James HB Carr Stakes-Gr3 winner Yattarna (Exceed and Excel) who was a consistent racemare, finishing in the top three in six of her nine starts. Exceed and Excel continues to leave quality racehorses as a sire, and is now emerging as one of the best damsires with twelve Gr1 winners in that role already, including Alizee, Astern, Elite Street, Tuvalu, and Laws of Indices. Yattarna’s first foal, Bundchen, won two of her three starts, then had a long break from racing, but has trialled recently for the Waterhouse/Bott team, while Yattarna’s three year-old has placed twice this season from a handful of starts to date.
“She is a very attractive filly who has matured a great deal, she is athletic with a lot of quality. She is correct, with good size scope and strength. She is a well-balanced filly with a good head and that x-factor presence about her.”
The first Inglis Easter Yearling Sale draft from The Chase defines the quality of pedigree and athlete that epitomises their goals in the Thoroughbred industry.