The progressive Zoustar gelding Sunfall bounced off an honest five-start campaign at two, to make a winning start to his three-year-old season in a competitive benchmark 70 over 1410m at Flemington on Saturday
Ridden by Jamie Kah, the Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr-trained gelding did best in a driving finish to defeat the Star Witness filly Star Spirit by a short-neck with the Savabeel colt Forgot You a further half-length back in third.
The winner of a Geelong maiden and placed twice at Caulfield last season, Sunfall will have his spring goals mapped out after Kent confers with his senior partner.
“I’ll have to work it out with the boss. He is nominated for the (Caulfield) Guineas, we will see what happens, Kent said.
“He is a genuine horse, who is going to get better and better.
“He is a such a tall horse, all legs, so with each prep he will come back stronger and stronger.
“He is fair-dinkum Saturday class, hopefully he can take the next step, time will tell.”
Kah said the best is yet to come for the son of Zoustar.
“He is a beautiful animal, very kind and honest. He is still not the finished product,” Kah said.
“He wanted to lay in and do a few things wrong. Once I pulled the whip through, he really found the line well. So, he is a nice horse going places.”
Sunfall was purchased by Mick Price Racing for $150,000 from the Eureka Stud draft at the 2020 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
A bother to the Group III MVRC Red Anchor Stakes winner Charge, Sunfall is the sixth winner from as many to race out of the General Nediym mare Queen Of The Falls.
Purchased by Harry McAlpine Bloodstock for $155,000 at the 2018 National Broodmare Sale, Queen Of The Falls is a half-sister to the Group II ATC Reisling Stakes winner Elite Falls (More Than Ready) who placed in the Golden Slipper and Oakleigh Plate.
From the family of Melbourne Cup hero Subzero, Queen Of The falls has a 2yo Spirit Of Boom colt, purchased by Chris Anderson Racing/Steve Morley Bloodstock for $80,000 at the 2021 Magic Millions Gold Coast National Yearling Sale.
After missing to Spirit Of Boom in 2019, Queen Of The Falls revisited the Eureka Stud stallion again last spring.
Recently returned to Widden Stud following his northern hemisphere duties at Twinhills Stud, Zoustar stands for a fee of $154,000 this spring.
