Historically, the Sangster crew would have been pleased with the impressive win of the lightly raced mare Steflara in the $100,000 Group 3 Breeders' Classic over 1200 metres at Randwick on Saturday. Although they did not breed her and are not involved in her racing career, they bred Steflara's sire Zabeel and raced her American bred maternal grandsire Bluebird, one which has been a successful sire in both hemispheres.

Zabeel, a son of Sir Tristram and the unraced Nureyev mare Lady Giselle, was sold to a client of the Hayes stables at Lindsay Park, Dubai's Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum. He raced on 19 occasions for seven wins including appearances in Melbourne in the Australian Guineas, Moonee Valley Stakes, Alister Clark Stakes and Craiglee Stakes.

The Sangsters also got rid of Lady Giselle, a mare who had mixed fortunes as a breeder. All told she had 15 foals for eight winners, but only two, Zabeel and the Kenmare colt Baryshnikov, were quality performers. Like Zabeel, Baryshnikov won the VRC Australian Guineas.

In winning the Breeders' Classic, the John O'Shea trained Steflara was having only her eleventh outing and was recording her first stakes success. She also became the hundredth stakes winner for the Cambridge Stud, New Zealand based Zabeel. Used only in New Zealand, the now 19-years-old Zabeel has phenomenal statistics of 621 winners (100 stakes winners including 33 successful at Group1 level) of over 2000 races - 240 black type events - and earners of $101million.

The biggest contribution has been from his runners in Australia where they have taken out over 1350 races (173 stakes) and earned $70 million. He has provided two Australian Horses of the Year in Might And Power - twice and Octagonal and the latter has had one of his sons, Lonhro, also claim this distinction.

Represented by 19 lots in the catalogue for the coming Australian Easter yearlings sale, Zabeel got his latest stakes winner Steflara from Blue Storm, a Bluebird Melbourne dual Group 3 sprint winner and STC Coolmore Classic fourth owned in NSW by J.M. Ryan. She was the only foal to have anywhere near the class of her dam, the great John's Hope racemare My Gold Hope. The latter mare won 11 races including the AJC Doncaster Handicap, All-Aged Stakes and Auckland Railway Handicap.

Steflara was sold for $170,000 at the Easter yearling sale in Sydney through Philippa Duncan Bloodstock. Coolmore is to offer her half-sister by Danehill Dancer at the coming Easter yearling sale.

Source: Brian Russell Bloodstock Media Services