3 Jul 2010
In taking out the Listed Caloundra Cup at the weekend, Ironstein (Zabeel ex Gentle Genius, by Danehill) became the 132nd individual black type winner for his sire.
Bred by John Singleton’s Strawberry Stud and prepared by Gerald Ryan, Ironstein has now won 5 of his 14 starts and all of those victories have come this season at four years.
The Caloundra Cup result marked the 20th black type win this season alone for the stock of Zabeel. Four of those wins have been at Group One level, with Jessicabeel winning the Sydney Cup; Zavite taking out the NZ$1m Auckland Cup; Efficient winning the Turnbull Stakes and the exciting 3YO Zabrasive successful in the Rosehill Guineas.
The progeny of Zabeel have won three Group Two races this season. Zarzuela, now with Peter Moody in Melbourne, was saddled by Mark Walker to take out both the Great Northern Guineas-Gr.2 and Championship Stakers-Gr.2. The other Group Two winner for Zabeel this season is Jessicabeel who won the AJC Chairman’s Handicap for John O’Shea prior to her Sydney Cup success.
Three horses by Zabeel have won at Group Three level this season, namely Packing Winner (HK), Oracy (South Africa) and Zarzuela (NZ).
Ironstein is one of 10 Listed Race winners for Zabeel this season.
Zabeel has won 13 Dewar Award trophies and leads that premiership again. He’s in front, but fighting hard to stall the challenge of O’Reilly, in year two of The Centaine Award, while he sits in third position behind Volksraad and Pins in the domestic premiership (‘Grosvenor Award’).
Article courtesy of Adrian Clark, NZTM