Last seen winning the $1.5million Group I MRC Thousand Guineas (1600m) back in November, exciting Zoustar filly Joliestar was set a task taking on the colts first up in the $1million Group II ATC Arrowfield Sprint (1200m) at Randwick on Saturday but rose to the challenge.
Trained by Chris Waller and ridden by Jamie Kah, Joliestar was allowed to find her feet early and when angled into clear running hit the line hard with a well timed run to score a narrow win over late closing Capitalist colt Hedged.
For Jamie Kah it was her first ride on a filly that has much more to offer.
“She was fresh today and quite strong, if she got beat it wasn’t going to be her faut she just overdid it a touch, so it was a really, really good win in the end,” said Kah.
Chris Waller is already thinking ahead to the new season for Joliestar with an array of rich spring target races in Sydney to consider.
“She had a long break and it’s hard to gauge were they are at just from trackwork,” Waller said.
“The number one goal is four year-old, so she might not even have another run. I’ll talk to Brendan and Jo Lindsay and see what they have to say, but I’d like to get her back and assess for her 4YO career..
“She had that late spring and needed the appropriate time and now we’re back here today.”
A $950,000 Inglis Easter purchase for Cambridge Stud’s Brendan and Jo Lindsay from the Segenhoe Thoroughbreds draft, Joliestar has the impressive record of three wins and three seconds from six starts with prizemoney topping $1.5million.
Bred by Chris and Jane Barham, Joliestar is a half-sister to stakes-placed God Of Thunder and Emperor and is the best of five winners from top-class Fastnet Rock mare Jolie Bay.
The Group II ATC Roman Consul Stakes winner and runner-up in the Group I VRC Coolmore Stud Stakes, Jolie Bay, is a sister to dual Group I winner Merchant Navy, Listed winner Setanta, and stakes-placed Zara Bay.
Jolie Bay had no yearling for the sales this year, but produced a filly last spring by Zoustar and is back in foal to Anamoe.
