Horse racing: A$1.5m Aussie win continues Cambridge Stud success for Lindsays

Brendan Lindsay leads in Joliestar after her win. Photo / Scott Barbour

Joliestar’s victory in the Australian 1000 Guineas on Saturday wasn’t just another Group 1 win for owner Brendan Lindsay.

It was a very important new brick in the rebuilding of Cambridge Stud.

Lindsay and wife Jo own the daughter of Zoustar who capped a great spring in Victoria for the Kiwis by winning the A$1.5 million classic for trainer Chris Waller and jockey James McDonald.

While Joliestar has plenty of lucrative options ahead in the second half of her 3-year-old season, anything else she achieves is a bonus, as for breeders such as the Lindsays, an Australian Group 1 early in a filly’s career is about as good as it gets.

The Lindsays could have been on a hiding to nothing when they bought the iconic Cambridge Stud breeding operation from the late Sir Patrick Hogan in 2017, trying to improve on or even maintain decades of excellence.

But their investment in well-bred fillies has reinvigorated the Cambridge Stud brand and Joliestar will eventually join a remarkably updated broodmare band.

Since the Lindsays purchased Cambridge Stud, they have added 13 black type-winning fillies to their broodmare team, many they raced themselves.

That list is headed by the mighty Probabeel, along with New Zealand 1000 Guineas winner Kahma Lass and New Zealand Oaks winner Amarelinha (purchased after she finished racing), while group or listed winners Excelida, Letzbeglam, Nerve Not Verve, Vernazza, Melt, Bavella, Love And Money, Pretty To Sea, Respin and Zouzarella are all now at Cambridge Stud.

Joliestar isn’t their only black type winner still racing either, with Aquacade, Zourion and Polygon still going, while Luberon, who was fourth in the New Zealand 1000 Guineas on Saturday, is placed at Listed level and looks a black-type winner in waiting.

The enormous investment in quality bloodstock by the Lindsays will pay dividends for generations and will have spinoffs for the entire New Zealand breeding and sales industry.

Sir Patrick would approve.

Three-year-old kings

Wexford Stable’s stunning recent success with 3-year-olds is no fluke.

Because former champion jockey-turned-trainer Lance O’Sullivan says he and training partner Andrew Scott target 3-year-old types when buying at the yearling sales.

“Like any trainers, we’d love to buy a top 2-year-old, but we also think that if you buy a horse to be a good juvenile and they don’t have things go their way that season, what are you left with?” O’Sullivan said.

Their logic and some judicious buying is clearly working, as Molly Bloom’s blazing win continues a magical last five years for the stable in elite 3-year-old races.

They have won two of the last three New Zealand Derbys with Asterix and Rocket Spade, three Auckland Guineas with Dark Destroyer, Rocket Spade and Dragon Leap, the latter two also winning the Avondale Guineas.

That roll may not be over yet, as Molly Bloom is now the $4 favourite for the $1.5m TAB Karaka Millions Three-Year-Old at Ellerslie on January 27.

“We bought her to be an Oaks filly but we can try and win both,” says O’Sullivan. “She will have a little freshen-up, probably go to Pukekohe on Boxing Day, then the Karaka Millions, and all going well, the Oaks.

“And if we can stretch her that far, we’d love to get to Sydney, but obviously that’s all in the future.

“We’re just stoked she’s been able to achieve something like this so early in her career for a wonderful bunch of owners.”