A two time stakes-winner at the end of last year, the Tony Gollan trained I Am Invincible gelding Zarastro has been performing a little below par this preparation, but bounced back to his brilliant best to post a career highlight win in the $200,000 Group III Tatts WJ Healy Stakes (1200m) at Eagle Farm on Saturday.
Purchased as a yearling for $1,050,000 at the 2020 Magic Millions, Zarastro failed to measure up to expectation as a colt and was re-offered in 2022 on Inglis Digital where he was snapped up by Gollan for $32,500 and the five year-old has proven a saleyard gift.
He led throughout for Angela Jones and was strong to the line winning by nearly two lengths over the race favourite Ghaanati, the blue-blood half-sister by Deep Impact to Pride of Dubai.
With eight wins from 22 starts and prizemoney just shy of $670,000, the best seems still to come for Zarastro and his big ownership group of Gollan stable clients.
"He was really good today. I was pretty adamant after his last start here that we had to change a few things up. I was really keen to go the 21 days into today with him. He puts a big effort into his races and his racing pattern, I want to give him that little bit of extra time between runs,” said Tony Gollan.
“I just knew the last 10 days coming here today he was right on song. She (Angela Jones) rated him really well today. I spoke to Ange this morning, I felt we might have been asking a bit much of him his last few, she was able to really keep him under wraps today and he was so strong through the line.
"Since he came to us he's been a revelation. The boys in Executive Racing that bought him online for bugger all money, we've had so much fun with him and he’s brought in a heap of new owners.”
Bred by Fairway Thoroughbreds and consigned by Segenhoe Stud, Zarastro is the first living foal of Zabeel’s speedy Group II ATC Light Fingers Stakes winner Adrift, a half-sister to the dam of Group I winner Entriviere.
Adrift has a yearling colt by I Am Invincible that sold at Inglis Easter for $1.15million to Kia Ora / TFI / Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott / Kestrel Thoroughbreds.
She was covered by Wootton Bassett (GB) last year after missing to Extreme Choice.
Zarastro is one of 15 stakes-winners this season for Yarraman Park’s superstar sire I Am Invincible, who has produced the winners of over $30million and will be crowned Champion Australian Sire for the third year in a row.
