Australian Stakes Double for Zabeel

It seems not even age can slow the champion sire Zabeel with his sons Fiumicino (NZ) and Precedence (NZ) both successful in stakes races in Australia on Saturday.

With Fiumicino now a nine-year-old and Precedence seven, the Group performing pair could find themselves lining up against each other in the Group 2 Brisbane Cup in a fortnight.

Precedence will now head to the Group 2 Brisbane Cup in two weeks

Saturday’s A$125,000 Group 3 Premier’s Cup (2200m) at Doomben saw the Bart Cummings trained Precedence (Zabeel x Kowtow) made a return to winning form with his last victory coming in September last year at Moonee Valley.

In a tough display in Saturday’s Group 3, Precedence was forced to go to the extreme outside on the turn in order to find racing room after racing near the back of the field and in the straight he came with a late finish to win by a length.

Precedence is no stranger to stakes success having won the Listed Manion Cup at three, and the Group 2 Moonee Valley Cup and Group 3 JRA Cup at five.

Raced by Dato Tan Chin Nam, Sir Patrick Hogan, The Dowager Duchess of Bedford and Berri Schroder, Precedence has proven a handy galloper on the track winning eight of his 50 starts for A$1,269,530 in stakes.

The seven-year-old was bred by Bloomsbury Stud and Sir Patrick & Lady Hogan and was purchased by Duncan Ramage’s DGR Thoroughbred Services from Cambridge Stud at New Zealand Bloodstock’s 2007 Karaka Premier Sale for $180,000.

Zabeel, now 27 years old, has had a remarkable career at his home at Cambridge Stud. The sire of 145 stakes winners, he is also making his mark as an outstanding broodmare sire having won both the Australian and New Zealand Broodmare Sire Premierships last season and gunning for his second in a row.

The son of Sir Tristram currently heads both broodmare sire premierships this season as well, just under A$4 million clear of Snippets in Australia’s Broodmare Sires’ Premiership and just over $100,000 clear of Danehill in New Zealand.