Cover image courtesy of Sportpix
Magic Millions announced on Wednesday that 5-year-old mare Zougotcha (Zoustar) will be offered at the 2025 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale in May, and the Group 1 winner has been a star since she was born. Sold by Widden Stud to Chris Waller Racing and Guy Mulcaster for $500,000 at the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale, Zougotcha turned heads immediately.
“She was a lovely type. A very professional filly who was popular from day 1 of inspections, and she held herself together very well. She has that typical Zoustar frame and head that everyone loves,” said Widden’s Matt Comerford.
“(Zougotcha was) a very professional filly who was popular from day 1 of inspections, and she held herself together very well." - Matt Comerford
“It’s an active family with great depth of pedigree. We are selling her three-quarter-sister this weekend (at Inglis Easter), Lot 217, who is a similar, powerful type of filly.”
Lot 217 - Zoustar x The Actuary (filly) | Image courtesy of Inglis
Brilliant from the start
Zougotcha debuted with a win in Sydney as an April 2-year-old, placing at her next start, then finishing mid-field in a Listed race. Back at three, she had three starts in the spring winning all of them, and the form around her is impressive.
Resuming in the G2 Silver Shadow Stakes over 1200 metres, Zougotcha beat In Secret (I Am Invincible) who went on to win the G1 Coolmore Stud Stakes later that spring. Next up, Zougotcha won the G2 Tea Rose Stakes beating stablemate Madame Pommery (No Nay Never {USA}) who went on to win the G1 MRC Thousand Guineas.
Zougotcha winning the G2 Phar Lap Stakes | Image courtesy of Sportpix
And then Zougotcha won the G1 Flight Stakes, beating She’s Extreme (Extreme Choice) who already had a juvenile Group 1 under her belt and would go on to win the G1 Victoria Oaks.
Three more starts in the autumn garnered a win in the G2 Phar Lap Stakes, and then a few punters wrote her off after a fruitless spring as a 4-year-old.
Her best campaign at four
Zougotcha got the last laugh, returning to the top as an autumn 4-year-old with a trio of victories. She won the G2 Millie Fox Stakes, with two Group 1 winners in her wake being Lady Laguna (Overshare) and Madame Pommery, and then won the G1 Coolmore Classic and the G1 Queen Of The Turf, again beating a Group 1 winner in Atishu (NZ) (Savabeel) in that second effort.
Sandwiched between Via Sistina (Ire) (Fastnet Rock) and Fangirl (Sebring) in a photo-finish when second in the G1 Winx Stakes this spring, Zougotcha is now spelling.
Zougotcha winning the G1 Coolmore Classic | Image courtesy of Sportpix
The summary is that she is a triple Group 1 winner, who won eight of her 18 starts with earnings over $2.6 million. “If you were ranking potential mares that could have come on the market, Zougotcha would have been right at the top,” Magic Millions Managing Director Barry Bowditch said.
“If you were ranking potential mares that could have come on the market, Zougotcha would have been right at the top.” - Barry Bowditch
“To be entrusted with the process, we are very excited. The company is so excited to market her. She is a young mare, a three-time Group 1 winner, she has a very commercial pedigree that gets better by the day, and she is a gorgeous mare. She is the mare that everyone will die to own.”
An outstanding pedigree
Zoustar is regarded as one of the best stallions in the country with 64 stakes winner, 10 of those at Group 1 level, and he’s beginning to make his mark as a broodmare sire with three stakes winners in that realm. All are 3-year-olds this season, being Group 3 winner Holmes A Court (Capitalist), and Listed winners Dawn Service (Justify {USA}) and Discretion Rules (Alabama Express).
Zougotcha’s dam Fast Talker (Fastnet Rock) was a good city class mare who was twice Listed placed, but it’s been at stud where she’s really excelled. Zougotcha is her fifth foal and third stakes winners with older sister Persuader winner of the Listed Twilight Glow Stakes while half-sister The Actuary (Sebring) won the Listed The Phoenix Stakes. Fast Talker has a 2-year-old colt named The Sheriff (Written Tycoon) and a colt foal who is a full brother to Zougotcha and Persuader.
Zoustar | Standing at Widden Stud
Fast Talker is a half-sister to Group 3 winner of 11 races Crystal Dreamer (Stratum) from the family of G1 Golden Slipper winner Crystal Lily (Stratum).
Comerford's early point about it being an active family is showcased by two yearlings in the upcoming Inglis Easter Yearling sale, being Widden Stud’s aforementioned three-quarter sister, Lot 217, a Zoustar filly out of The Actuary, while Yarraman Park Stud will offer a So You Think (NZ) filly Lot 106 out of Persuader.
