News - ZOUSAIN (AUS)

Zousain gelding Betterlucknextttime looks a natural runner and made it two wins from two starts when he produced another tidy effort to win at Doomben on Saturday.

With a $100,000 Inglis Xtra Bonus up for grabs on the 1000m maiden at Hawkesbury on Thursday there was a very competitive field assembled that included the half-brother to $11.6million earner Private Eye, but he had to settle for second on debut with victory going to an interstate raider.

The first Australian two year-old race of the season was run in Brisbane at Doomben on Saturday with Zousain gelding Betterlucknextttime doing everything right to score a trouble free win.

Widden Stud’s exciting young sire Zousain made it a two state metro double on Wednesday with Amelita scoring at Canterbury and shortly after that he sired Bollinger Miss to win at Doomben.

Talented Zousain filly Amelita put the writing on the wall with her good recent trial form and she took it to race day at Canterbury on Wednesday to win at her first run back from a spell.

The Victress has got the nod as Te Akau’s leading black-type chance at Riccarton on Saturday, but it might be an opposing stablemate who will lead the chase for higher honours later in the season.

At the end of last season there were a lot of people looking to hail the first crop sires as a vintage bunch led by Too Darn Hot (GB), who broke all records for his efforts to be champion by earnings and winners for 2023/2024 with the result that he and most of his peers were given a fee increase and a month into a new season the state of play looks like this.

Te Akau’s trainers Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson had a successful day on Saturday and one of their most impressive winners in New Zealand was Zousain filly The Victress, who won the open three-year-old contest named in memory of the late Kevin Hickman.

Te Akau Racing celebrated five winners across three venues on Saturday, including the exciting return of stakes-bound filly The Victress at Riccarton Park.

It’s a new season and a fresh slate for our young second crop sires whose oldest progeny have just turned three and while there is a long way to go, Widden Stud will be happy if the second crop sire table remains looking just like this.

The $200,000 Group III MRC Quezette Stakes (1100m) at Caulfield on Saturday drew a competitive field of up and coming fillies, but the cream rose to the top when Zousain filly Drifting carried top weight of 58kg to victory.

Appearing for the first time since finishing third on debut at Cranbourne in April, the 3-year-old Zousain gelding Viasain gave his elders a hiding in the Global Turf Maiden Plate (1100m) on the Ballarat Synthetic on Friday.

Narrowly beaten on debut at Eagle Farm, the progressive 3-year-old Zousain gelding Mister Bianco made it two from three when taking the inside route to triumph in the Access Insulation Sunshine Coast Hcp (1300m) at the Sunshine Coast on Saturday.

Widden Stud’s Zoustar has been fully booked since May with a tsunami of winners in the latter part of the season driving him to new heights.

With the breeding season fast approaching studs love it when a young sire gets a roll along as we head into spring and Widden Stud’s Zousain is doing just that posting his third winner in the last three days when Zousain Bolt scored at Hawkesbury on Thursday.

Zousain made it two new winners in two days when the hot favourite Mister Bianco saluted in the first race at Ipswich on Wednesday.

Widden Stud’s Zousain had a super impressive debut winner on Tuesday with Laizabout opening up to win by six and a half lengths as favourite.

Zousain has posted his second new winner this week at Cranbourne on Friday evening when the Phillip Stokes trained filly The Dabble Effect scored on debut.

Widden Stud are proud to announce fees on a top class roster of 18 stallions spread between NSW and Victoria with our flagship sire Zoustar soaring to new heights in 2024 on the racetrack and in the sales ring.

Zousain racked up a seventh first crop winner at Ipswich on Wednesday although needed the help of the stewards as talented gelding Rhumb Line just missed at the post.