breednet.com.au

New Stars Equimillion Results – Who are These Horses?

Tara Madgwick - Thursday Oct 10

The New Stars classes at Equimillion this year were a fresh innovation designed to showcase the next wave of equestrian horses emerging from the racetrack and to be eligible the contenders needed an official retirement date with Racing Australia that was within 12 months of the show, so who were the 112 horses and riders that rose to the challenge.

A challenge it surely is with the time frame being tight given the retraining of racehorses to the elite level at any discipline is a process counted in years rather than months.

Winner of the New Stars Led Thoroughbred class was 6YO Your Song gelding High Class, registered as Your Serve - image Facebook

Unlike the business of racing which is basically harnessing a horse’s natural flight response to gallop, learning to perform a different range of ridden tasks for the competition arena is complex and requires the horse to use his brain every bit as much as his body. All the cues and signals from the rider as to what is required and when have to be learned, remembered and reproduced when there may be any manner of distractions at play.

For that reason, everyone that got a horse to compete in these classes deserves an award, but we’ve gone through and pulled out the Top 5 for each discipline.

Eventing  EVA 80cm - 22 in the class

Young Scone horseman Charlie Richardson was one of the favourites to win this class on the former Annabel Neasham trained $11million earner Zaaki (GB), however the multiple G1 winner didn’t make it to the show after sustaining a pesky paddock injury, not that it mattered.

Charlie won on his other entry VH Wingman, who is by Pride of Dubai, the same sire as our newly crowned Australian Horse of the Year Pride of Jenni.

Advertisement

Rider

Horse

Breeding

Racetrack

1

Charlie Richardson

VH Wingman

(Ballet Pride)

5g Pride of Dubai x Ballet Society

17 starts for 1 win

2

Jessica Grossman

Duchy of Cornwall

5g Hallowed Crown x Zutara

11 starts for 1 win

3

Sophie Fox

I Am Richenuff

6g Rich Enuff x Glory Be

19 starts for 3 wins

4

Skye McCullough

Frosted Dash

5g Frosted (USA) x Dosh Dash

16 starts for 2 thirds

5

Jess Somerfield

Advantage Point

5g Fozwedge x Advantage Receiver

1 start

Showjumping 80cm – 35 in the class

The world’s fastest horse when he was racing, Nature Strip jumped beautifully for his new owner Kathy O’Hara to finish 12th overall in a very competitive class, while his sprint rival Lost and Running was also making new fans in the jump arena with Aria Baker on board to also finish in the Top 20.

Rider

Horse

Breeding

Racetrack

1

Alison Ostenfeld

Optimizzer

8g Not a Single Doubt x Twizzler

40 starts for 4 wins

2

Zachary Thorne

Mighty Willie

6g American Pharoah (USA)

17 starts for 3 wins

3

Tinky Konechny

Hot n Handsome

(Tutelage)

8g Medaglia D’Oro (USA) x Harpers

39 starts for 8 wins

4

Charlie Richardson

Saturn Star

5g Zoustar x Saturn Rock

6 starts for 1 win

5

Carla Gerigk

Imposing Star

4g Zoustar x Imposing Lass

2 starts

Dressage –30 in the class

Rider

Horse

Breeding

Racetrack

1

Hazel Shannon

Just a Nickel AMC (Sizzle Nickel)

5m Sizzling x Del Lirio

8 starts

2

Sarah Farraway

Fireman

6g The Factor (USA) x Siren

21 starts for 1 win

3

Nicky Lyle

Birrie Hill

(Birriecart)

6g Husson (Arg) x Nivali

11 starts for 5 wins $233,800

4

Rebecca Dunn

Iama Princess

5m Super One x Mallaco Princess

7 starts

5

Leeann Olsen

Pantsman

4g Showtime x She Loves You

11 starts

Led Showhorse – 18 in the class

Rider

Horse

Breeding

Racetrack

1

Cassandra Schmidt

High Class

(Your Serve)

6g Your Song x Advantage Receiver

Unraced

2

Annika Kunert

Wicklow (IRE)

7g Twilight Son x Wake Up

SW - 24 starts for 6 wins inc Wagga Cup and $555,000

3

Jess Martin

Major Murphy

7g Press Statement x Night War

40 starts for 3 wins

4

Mandy Hamilton

Special Reward

9g Demerit x Special Kiseki

G3 winner- 34 starts for 10 wins and $1.3million

5

Paul Warhurst

Different Strokes

7g Hinchinbrook x Khepri

16 starts for 3 wins

Ridden Showhorse – 7 in the class

Rider

Horse

Breeding

Racetrack

1

Joshua Clarke

SLM Styles

(Steel Gaze)

5g Pierro x Gaze

7 starts

2

Adam Oliver

Hades

(Atheism)

4g Shalaa (IRE) x Sense and Reason

3 starts

3

Leanne Bordin

Harrison LD

(Apataki)

6g Darci Brahma x Polynesia

15 starts for 2 wins

4

Abbey Lonsdale

Costa Maya

9m High Chaparral (IRE) x Kesari

55 starts for 3 wins

5

Isabella Tyson

Scallopini

10g Snitzel x Rose of Mulan

G3 winner – 45 starts for 13 wins and $1.1million
Advertisment
More Reading...
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.
G1 CF Orr Stakes - An Old Race in a New Time Slot
Four days of Flemington action are behind us for another year, and what a grand feast of horse racing it was - now Melbourne’s carnival continues with the second running of the MRC's time-honoured G1 CF Orr Stakes, in its new place on the racing calendar.
Ace Stud Add Night of Thunder Stallion to Roster
The European sister farm to Yulong, Ace Stud have announced the addition of a new stallion to their Newmarket roster with Zeus Olympios to join Shaquille and Lucky Vega, who is finishing his Australian season in the Hunter Valley after switching from Victoria.
New 2YO SW for Pinatubo
Darley shuttler Pinatubo (IRE) will have a great chance in the $1million Group III MRC Thoroughbred Club Stakes (1200m) at Sandown on Saturday with 3YO filly Sequinned and overnight in France he added a new stakes-winner to his tally.
Mike McMahon and Jamie Hill Appointed NZB’s American Representatives
NZB are thrilled to announce the appointment of Mike McMahon and Jamie Hill as American-based Sale Representatives.
Debut Winners Join Road to TAB Karaka Millions 2YO
The $1m TAB Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m) dream is well and truly alive for two big groups of owners following first-start victories by two-year-old fillies at Te Rapa and Tauherenikau last weekend.
ATO Takes Harder Line on Losses
For such a contentious topic—particularly for participants in the thoroughbred industry—the wait for updated ATO guidance on whether an activity is a “business” or a “hobby” has certainly been a long one.
Coolmore Announce 2027 European Fees
Coolmore has announced European stud fees for the 2027 breeding season, led once again by multiple Champion 2YO Sire No Nay Never at €120,000.
South Australian Breeders Celebrate Cup Week Racing
Often considered the pinnacle of racing in Australia, the week-long Flemington carnival draws together four days of outstanding racing with South Australian bred runners playing a strong hand in this year’s results, winning on each of the four days.
Group One performer Myakkabelle goes under the hammer on Gavelhouse Plus
Gavelhouse Plus is giving breeders the chance to add a Group One performer to their broodmare band with the auction of multiple black-type placegetter Myakkabelle.