Zoutori Wins Newmarket at Inglis Easter Graduates Shine

Media Release - Saturday March 6

Zoutori won a deserved G1 in the Newmarket Handicap as the Easter Yearling Sale again showed why it’s globally considered the best auction in the southern hemisphere, producing four Stakes winners on a hallmark day for Inglis graduates.

Easter grads Zoutori ($160,000 yearling purchase), Missybeel ($210,000), So Si Bon ($250,000) and Wild Ruler ($525,000) all secured Stakes wins today, further highlighting Easter as the sale to buy at if you want success – at all levels of the market.

Zoutori becomes the 57th individual G1 winner offered through an Inglis sale since 2018, almost 50% more than the nearest competitor.

Zoutori won the G1 Newmarket - image Grant Courtney.

It’s a telling statistic, less than a month out from the flagship Easter Yearling Sale at Riverside on April 6 and 7.

Zoutori (pictured) sold to trainers Mathew Ellerton and Simon Zahra for $160,000 at the 2017 Easter Sale, where he was offered by Amarina Farm.

He was bred by Frank Meduri and has now won over $1.7m in prizemoney.

Meduri has bred the likes of Haradasun and Elvstroem through his association with blue hen mare Circles of Gold – who he part-owned - as well as Highland Reel and others in partnership with Coolmore.

“It’s been a while between drinks and I’m a little overcome to be honest,’’ Meduri said.

“It’s a bit of mixed emotions, we lost the mare Atotori in a truck accident a few months ago so it’s a day of happiness yet tinged with sadness as well.

Advertisement

“I remember him as a foal Zoutori, he was always a nice enough type and I was so happy to see him go Matty (Ellerton) and for him to now be a Group 1 winner, it’s great to see.’’

Earlier at Randwick, untapped Peter and Paul Snowden-trained colt Wild Ruler earned another chance to secure an invaluable G1 win in The Galaxy in a fortnight following an effortless victory in today’s Listed Fireball Stakes.

The 3YO colt from Easter – China Horse Club, Newgate Farm and WinStar Farm bought him for $525,000 from his breeder Kia Ora Stud – is already G1 placed having finished 3rd in last year’s Coolmore Stud Stakes at Flemington on Derby Day.

But it’s an elusive G1 his powerful connections are after and they won’t get a better chance than The Galaxy in a fortnight, which will come at just Wild Ruler’s 9th career start – he has already won four from eight for $800,000 prizemoney.

And Missybeel scored a second Stakes success when victorious in the G3 Aspiration Quality at Randwick.

Her trainer Bjorn Baker teamed up with Blandford Bloodstock to secure her for $210,000 at Easter in 2016, where she was offered by Waikato Stud, who also bred her.

Missybeel has now won almost $450,000 in prizemoney.

The Stakes success for Inglis graduates continued at Flemington, led by the outstanding Ready2Race graduate Lightsaber (Zoustar) who continued his surge through the 2YO ranks with another dominant front-running win in the G2 Sires’ Produce Stakes.

It’s a third consecutive win for the Peter Moody-trained Lightsaber, whose only defeat to date is a narrow second on debut.

Blueblood Thoroughbreds purchased Lightsaber for $100,000 at last year’s Ready2Race Sale at Riverside, where he was offered by Shaun and Tal Nolen’s JCS Thoroughbreds.

They pinhooked the colt, having originally purchased him out of the Aquis draft – who offered him on behalf of his breeder Emirates Park - at the Classic Yearling Sale for $80,000.

“He’s a showy sort of horse and he’s got plenty of ability so let’s hope he keeps winning,’’ Shaun Nolen said.

“That Ready2Race Sale at Inglis last year was really strong, plenty of good buyers and lots of city trainers which really helped and it’s great to see this bloke win three of his first four.

“We’ll have a draft again this year for sure at the Inglis Ready2Race, we’ve already picked up a couple of Merchant Navy’s, a Fastnet Rock, a Vancouver, a Denman and we’re not done yet so we’ll see how many we end up with.’’

The Sires’ has proven itself a true form race in recent seasons – last year Lunar Fox defeated Ole Kirk while other winners in the past decade include Inglis superstars Jameka and All Too Hard.

And next week’s $5m All Star Mile is still in contention for 7YO marvel So Si Bon (So You Think) following his win in today’s Listed March Stakes at Flemington.

The Tom Dabernig and Ben Hayes-trained warrior secured a fourth Stakes success at start No.62 today which could earn him a place in next Saturday’s feature at The Valley, for which he is currently on the ‘provisional emergency list’.

The final field for the All Star Mile will be declared Tuesday morning.

So Si Bon has won $1.6m in prizemoney to date – he’s a $250,000 Easter Yearling Sale buy for Robbie Laing from Newgate Farm.

Each vendor that sold today’s Inglis Stakes winners – Newgate Farm, Emirates Park, Waikato Stud, Kia Ora and Amarina – will present drafts at this year’s Easter Yearling Sale, at Riverside on April 6 and 7.

To view the Easter catalogue, CLICK HERE.

Advertisment
More Reading...
Sires With Winners - Tuesday November 5
Here is the full list of 145 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Kiwi Bred Gringotts Wins $3million Big Dance
Talented New Zealand-bred gelding Gringotts(NZ) (Per Incanto) delivered a big payday for his connections with victory in Tuesday’s A$3 million Big Dance (1600m) at Randwick.
2024 Melbourne Cup Result - It's Knights Choice
The 2024 Melbourne Cup has been run and won with Knight’s Choice, a five-year-old gelding by Extreme Choice victorious.
Melbourne Cup Winner for Extreme Choice – Rare Slice of History
This year’s $8.5million Group I VRC Melbourne Cup (3200m) produced a genuinely amazing fairytale result for the connections of five year-old Extreme Choice gelding Knight’s Choice, but part of that fairytale is his sire Extreme Choice, who has carved out something seriously special as being only the second sire in history to produce the winner of a Golden Slipper and a Melbourne Cup.
Antrim Coast to Fly Flag for The Oaks Stud
The well-renowned colours of The Oaks Stud will feature across two feature Trans-Tasman meetings this week, kicking off with Antrim Coast lining up in the Listed Furphy Plate (1800m) on Melbourne Cup Day at Flemington.
Magic Nick Strikes Again – Fastnet Rock x Galileo
The Fastnet Rock x Galileo nick has been on fire in Melbourne this spring producing Cox Plate winner Via Sistina (IRE) and leading Melbourne Cup contender Buckaroo (GB) and it struck again overnight in the UK with a brand new stakes-winner in Military Academy, who captured the Listed Floodlit Stakes (1m4f) at Kempton.
Rosemont and Partners Stakes Quinella on Cup Day
Written Tycoon posted his second new stakes-winner on Melbourne Cup Day when promising three year-old gelding Catoggio took out the Listed VRC Amanda Elliot Stakes (1400m)  for Rosemont Stud and partners, who also race the second horse Bosustow.
El Vencedor wins G3 Balmerino Stakes
El Vencedor is making a habit of picking up major victories at Ellerslie, adding the Gr.3 Balmerino Stakes (2000m) to his burgeoning record at Tuesday’s Melbourne Cup Day meeting.
Sires With Winners - Monday November 4
Here is the full list of 21 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
More Stakes Success for Air Assault
Group I placed last season in the SA Derby, talented gelding Air Assault kept the winning run going for Victoria Derby winning trainer Andrew Gluyas when taking out the Listed SAJC John Letts Cup (1800m) at Morphettville on Melbourne Cup Day.