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Caulfield Cup path for Zebrowski; First NZ Foal for Ace High;

Caulfield Cup path for Zebrowski

One of the numerous eye-catching runs in the Gr.1 Winx Stakes (1400m) on Saturday was the Team Hawkes-trained Zebrowski.

The son of Savabeel closed well to finish 4.7 lengths from impressive winner Verry Elleegant and will be set on a path towards the Gr.1 Caulfield Cup (2400m).

The Gr.1 Australian Derby (2400m) runner-up was bred by Windsor Park Stud, who retain an interest in the four-year-old gelding, who is a sibling to Hawkes-trained Group winners Leebaz, Polish Knight and Euro Angel.

"He ran super, we've just got to work out what to do with him now," Wayne Hawkes told RSN.

"It was good to get him past his first run and we'll start making inroads towards the Caulfield Cup. 

"He's bred in the purple and I don't know if he's going to get the two miles (of a Melbourne Cup) or not but we know he can get a mile and a half."

Stablemate Master Of Wine finished 12th in the Winx Stakes and Hawkes indicated the pair would be kept apart until they meet in the Caulfield Cup on October 17.

First NZ Foal for Ace High

Rich Hill Stud reports that their first NZ-born foal by their magnificent dual Group One winner Ace High made her arrival at the stud on Saturday.

The filly is from Gold Rose, a two-time winning daughter of Pentire from the family of dual Oaks winner Domino. 

"She is a well-balanced quality filly with her father's lovely head and colouring," Rich Hill stud-master John Thompson said.

"She is the second foal by Ace High. The first was born at Andrew Ferguson's Bell River property in Australia which was very appropriate with Ace High himself bred by Andrew at Bell River."

Ace High is the last Group One winning three-year-old by breed shaping sire High Chaparral to go to stud.

A precocious colt, Ace High debuted as an October two-year-old in Sydney, training on to be a high-class three-year-old winning spring Group Ones in both Sydney and Melbourne.

He was understandably very popular with New Zealand breeders last season serving 100 mares in his first book.

The High Chaparral sire-line continues to go from strength to strength with the progeny of his sire-son's So You Think, Dundeel and Toronado all seen performing very well in Australasia over the past twelve months.