The $165,000 Listed Canberra Guineas (1400m) produced a thrilling finish with the favourite Port Lockroy edged out by up and coming Zoustar gelding Xidaki.
A last start maiden winner at Randwick, the Peter and Paul Snowden trained Xidaki made a smooth progression into stakes company when surging late between runners to snatch a half head win taking his overall record to two wins and four placings from six starts with prizemoney topping $200,000.
“He’s a nice horse and will relish going a little further as we think he’s looking for a mile,” said Paul Snowden.
“There are bigger wins in store.”
Retained to race by his breeder, Xidaki is the best of four winners from four foals to race from minor winning General Nediym mare Athanea, who claims blue hen Lady Giselle, the dam of Zabeel as her third dam. This branch of the family has also produced dual Group I winning sire Hallowed Crown.
Athanea has been a regular visitor to Widden Stud and had a filly by Trapeze Artist last spring and was then covered by Portland Sky.
Xidaki is the 49th stakes-winner for Zoustar, who also registered his first stakes-winner as a broodmare sire in Canberra on Sunday afternoon when two year-old colt Holmes a Court (Capitalist) won the Group III Canberra Black Opal Stakes.
