With eight of nine races on the program at Caulfield on Sunday being stakes races it’s been a star studded day and the finale came with the Listed MVRC Testa Rossa Stakes (1440m) won by long short Regal Zeus, who led all the way to win.
A six year-old gelding by Zoustar, Regal Zeus can be hard to run down when he’s on and his rivals found that out the hard way today.
Trained by John McArdle and ridden by Jamie Mott, Regal Zeus took up his usual role as the leader and made it look easy at the finish when scoring by a length and a half to take his overall record to 12 wins from 39 starts and prizemoney over $1.1million.
“He loves Caulfield and he got the lead, so was always going to be hard to run down.” Said John McArdle.
"He (Jamie) knows the horse and that is the beauty of having him as a stable rider. He knows getting him out in front and showing them you're going to lead, then give him a little breather for a couple of furlongs and then go on the turn to break their hearts and that's what he did."
A $150,000 Inglis Easter purchase for Regal Bloodstock / Blue Grass (FBAA) / Redgum Racing from the Edinburgh Park draft, Regal Zeus was bred by Ian Smith and is the best of two winners from Group III placed Quiet Kitten (USA), a grand-daughter of stakes-winner Darling Alice, whose daughters have had plenty of success in Australia producing Group II winner Glenfiddich and stakes-winning $2.4million earner Eleven Eleven.
Quiet Kitten was sold in the Edinburgh Park Dispersal at Magic Millions National in 2023 with Kingstar Farm picking up the mare for $120,000.
They sold a Zoustar yearling colt from her last year at Inglis Classic for $200,000 and after missing in 2023, Quiet Kitten was then covered by Zoustar’s Group I winning son Ozzmosis and produced a three-quarter brother to Regal Zeus last spring before going back to him again.
Regal Zeus is the first stakes-winner of the new season for Widden Stud’s champion sire Zoustar.
