Rising Star Stallions to the Fore

The sky appears to be the limit for some of Australasia’s emerging star stallions, and Karaka 2019 will be the perfect time to get on board with their progeny.

Second-season sensation Zoustar (Northern Meteor) has sired 32 winners across the Tasman this season, six of them stakes winners, with A$3.2 million in prizemoney – almost three times as much as the next-best second-season sire in Australia.

Zoustar’s pinnacle came during the Melbourne Cup carnival, when he sired the trifecta in the prestigious Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes for three-year-olds – Sunlight, Zousain and Lean Mean Machine.

With strong demand in both hemispheres, Zoustar is set to shuttle to the UK later this year.

Two Zoustar yearlings sold at Karaka 2018 making a big impact with price tags of $400,000 and $650,000.

Five of his progeny feature in the catalogue for Book 1 of Karaka 2019.

The leading second-season sire in New Zealand is Dawn Approach (New Approach), thanks to the deeds of his twice-winning and twice stakes-placed son Dawn Patrol. After winning his first two starts, he has finished second in the Group 1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas and Listed Uncle Remus Stakes in his last two starts.

The sire of five stakes winners worldwide, Dawn Approach has two colts in Book 1 of Karaka 2019.

Windsor Park Stud’s Shamexpress (NZ) (O’Reilly) has made a big impression with his first two crops having so far produced 10 winners, including two at stakes level – London Express and Cyber Attack.

There was a Shamexpress quinella in the Listed Castletown Stakes with London Express and Qiji Express, and the latter went on to finish a close second in the Group 2 Sarten Memorial.

Shamexpress yearlings have been a hit at Karaka in the last two years, selling up to $510,000, and he has strong representation again this year with eight yearlings in Book 1 and 15 in Book 2.

Multiple Group 1 winner Dundeel (NZ) (High Chaparral) has had a series of impressive winners to date, with 22 of his 47 runners already successful. Two of those have been stakes winners – Group 3 winner Irukandji and Listed winner Cutadeel. Two others have been stakes-placed, while the likes of two-year-old Yourdeel and three-year-old Lincoln Falls are showing enormous promise.

There are seven Dundeel yearlings in the catalogue for Book 1 at Karaka 2019.