Best On Breeding

Mark Smith - Friday Jan 13

Zoustar can top off a magical week at the Gold Coast in Saturday's $2,000,000 Magic Millions 2yo Classic.

Among the most sought-after stallions at the sale, the Widden Stud-based stallion has two leading chances in the Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young-trained colt Sunsource and the Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott-trained filly Platinum Jubilee.

A jaw-dropping win for Platinum Jubilee in Gimcrack Stakes (image Steve Hart)

A $600,000 purchase for Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott/Kestrel Thoroughbreds from the Newgate Farm draft at the Gold Coast twelve months ago, Platinum Jubilee races for a syndicate, which includes her breeder, Sir Owen Glenn's Go Bloodstock.

Advertisement

Sir Owen may not know where to look at the finish as he also has interests in leading chances Empire Of Japan (Snitzel), Sovereign Fund (Capitalist), and Royal Entrance (Snitzel).

Platinum Jubilee made a memorable debut in the Group III Keeneland Gimcrack Stakes (1000m) at Randwick on October 1.

The daughter of Zoustar came from a seemingly impossible position to overpower the Russian Revolution filly Perfect Proposal by a length and a quarter.

Twelve weeks later, Platinum Jubilee led up in an 1100m race at Randwick and was nailed on the line by the Hellbent filly Fireburn, who she opposes again on Saturday. Third in the race was Snitzel's Group III Breeders' Stakes winner Empire Of Japan, among the favourites on Saturday.

Platinum Jubilee is the second foal of stakes-winning Fastnet Rock mare Miss Debutante, who has made an exciting start to her broodmare career.

Her first foal is the I Am Invincible filly Queen of the Ball, who won the Group III ATC Widden Stakes and Group III CRC Black Opal Stakes at two and the Group III MVRC Scarborough Stakes this season at three.

Sir Owen Glenn purchased Miss Debutante for $430,000 through Paul Moroney Bloodstock when consigned by Kia Ora Stud to the 2015 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.

She won four of her eight starts for Gai Waterhouse, highlighted by a dominant performance in the Listed Denise's Joy Stakes at Scone, defeating Snitty Kitty, Smart Amelia, and Eckstein.

Platinum Jubilee a $600,000 Magic Millions yearling

Miss Debutante is from imported Group II winning More Than Ready (USA) mare More Than Real (USA), who Todd Pletcher trained for celebrity chef Bobby Flay. She won the Grade II Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf two years before it was elevated to a Grade 1.

More Than Real (USA) was a US$675,000 purchase for James Bester at the 2011 Fasig-Tipton November Sale. She has proved to be a sound investment for Kia Ora with her Exceed And Excel filly Pretty Elsa selling for $1,200,00 at the 2019 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale.

More Than Real (USA) is a sister to Miss Always Ready, the dam of Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf winner Structor (Palace Malice), and Always Carina (Malibu Moon), who was runner-up in the Grade II Mother Goose Stakes at Belmont.

The top-producing sisters are daughters of the crack Dehere (USA) mare Miss Steffens whose eleven wins included five stakes.

There is still plenty to look forward to as Miss Debutante has a yearling Written Tycoon filly, a colt foal by Flying Artie, and was covered by I Am Invincible in November.

Advertisment
More Reading...
Manzor Blue Heads to Sandown Cup
Palmerston North mare Manzor Blue claimed valuable Australian black type when runner-up in the Gr.3 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2600m) at Flemington on Saturday, and she will now try to go one better in the Listed Sandown Cup (3200m) later this month.
2027 Golden Slipper Entries – Sortable Sale Mail – Find Out More
The new season is nearly upon us and that means all over the country a new crop of rising two year-olds are taking baby steps in the best stables in the land with the Australian Turf Club announcing this week they had received 1881 entries for the 2027 Golden Slipper, so who is in the race?
$3.5million for Platinum Jubilee
Race performance is one thing and pedigree another, but when you put them together in a neatly wrapped package like Platinum Jubilee you get serious fiscal fireworks with the Zoustar filly selling for $3.5million at the Magic Millions National Sale on Tuesday.
Karaka Graduate Hyperbolic a New SW for Proisir
Karaka 2023 graduate Hyperbolic (NZ) (Proisir) claimed the sixth and most significant win of her career in the A$200,000 Listed Evergreen Turf Ladies Day Cup (1500m) at Hawkesbury on Saturday.
G1 Aussie Pedigree Watch –Newly Minted
Pedigree does matter if you want to be winning races longer than 1200m, although in an interesting twist a colt bred on face value for speed is in fact from the family of Zabeel.
New French SW for Almanzor
Cambridge Stud’s Almanzor (Fr) added a new stakes-winner to his tally in France on Sunday when progressive three year-old filly Lameloise landed the Listed Prix Vulcain (2500m) at Saint Cloud.
Haras d'Etreham Set Fee for Hotazhell
Triple Group I winner Hotazhell will begin his stallion career at Haras d'Etreham in France at a fee of €15,000 next year before then shuttling to Widden Stud in Australia.
Remembering Sunline – The Queen of the Cox Plate Before Winx
From our vantage point in 2026, we can look back at modern Cox Plate history and marvel at how quickly the years are passing.
Kiwi Bred Speedy Dragon Wins G3 Sa Sa Ladies' Purse
With the 2026 NZB Ready to Run Sale just over a week away, a graduate delivered some well-timed publicity for the world’s leading sale of two-year-olds with his victory in Sunday’s Group Three Sa Sa Ladies’ Purse (1800m) at Sha Tin.
Golden Year for Magic Graduates Highlight MM 2027
Some of the richest and most influential age specific races for horses in Australia come in Sydney and this year Magic Millions graduates –four of them colts- have won the $5million Group I Golden Slipper (1200m 2YO’s), the $1million Group I ATC Golden Rose (1400m 3YOs ), the $10million Group I ATC Golden Eagle (1500m 4YOs) and the $2m Group III ATC Five Diamonds (1800m 5YOs).