

Glamour sprinter Joliestar had trainer Chris Waller and rider James McDonald searching for superlatives following her stellar performance at Eagle Farm to claim a last stride victory in the G1 Kingsford Smith Cup.
Our superstar mare looked out for the count before she raised a monumental final effort to seal victory on the post in the 1300 metre feature.
“It’s been a hard day to run the leaders down and we can’t change her racing pattern, but in saying that, it was a lovely ride by James,” Waller said.
“He went straight across and got ahead of Giga Kick and one or two others, and that was probably the winning move.
“She was off the bridle at the 500 metres but to her class, she just kept coming.
“She’s a pleasure to train and the team at the Gold Coast call her the Queen, I’ll go with that.”
The regally bred Joliestar has now won six of her 15 starts and added the Kingsford Smith to her previous elite level victories in the Newmarket Handicap and Thousand Guineas.
“She’s just a lovely horse with a great record,” said Waller, who indicated she would now head for the paddock with October’s A$20 million The Everest her spring target.
“It was a mission that we missed out on last spring, so we’ll have a chat about it.”
Joliestar was taken back to fourth last from her wide barrier draw before McDonald got busy, but the daughter of Zoustar still had a mountain to climb on straightening.
“Obviously, she was the class horse in the race and she’s a big rocket because she wasn’t entitled to win,” he said.
“When I looked up at the 600, I thought I was okay and when I got on my bike at the 500 the pace had quickened, and the margin went from five lengths turning to home to seven.
“She made me look good, she’s a super mare.”
Joliestar was bred by Chris Barham and offered by Segenhoe Stud at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale where we went to A$950,000 to secure our pride and joy.
She is a daughter of the Fastnet Rock mare Jolie Bay, who won the G2 Roman Consul Stakes and finished runner-up in the G1 Coolmore Stud Stakes and is a sister to the Australian and international Group 1 winner and stallion Merchant Navy.
All six of Jolie Bay’s progeny to race have been successful and includes the stakes performers Emperor and God Of Thunder.
8 Jun
2025