First Winners For Zoustar, Epaulette

The Tony McEvoy-trained Sunlight (Aus) gave her first-season sire Zoustar (Aus) his first winner in style at the Gold Coast on Saturday when running away with a 900-metre maiden at second asking by 4 3/4 lengths. The A$300,000 Magic Millions Gold Coast yearling is now bound for the Jan. 13 Magic Millions 2YO Classic, with McEvoy indicating she will have one more start a week out from the race.

Zoustar, the winner of the G1 Coolmore Stud S. and G1 Golden Rose S., is owned by Widden Stud and Qatar Racing and has thus far divided his time between Widden in New South Wales and Woodside Park in Victoria. Sunlight is his first winner from five runners.

Also registering a first Southern Hemisphere winner on Saturday was Darley's Epaulette (Aus), who currently sits on 22 winners in the Northern Hemisphere. His win also came at the Gold Coast courtesy of Katy's Daughter (Aus), who won another 900 metre heat by a neck for trainer Steve O'Dea. O'Dea also trained the filly's stakes-winning half-sister and he told AAP, “I think Katy's Daughter is the best of the four that I have trained. She is going to relish 1200 metres and maybe a little bit further. She is off to the Magic Millions now and I am sure she will do us proud.”

Eureka Stud's Spirit of Boom is Australia's runaway leading first-season sire at this early juncture with three stakes winners, and his closest pursuer is Epaulette's Darley stablemate Dawn Approach (Ire), who notched his second Southern Hemisphere winner at Warwick Farm on Saturday in the form of Godolphin's Condemned (Aus). Godolphin's private trainer James Cummings also handles Gongs (Aus), Dawn Approach's first winner who is two from two.