18 Nov 2023Our richly bred filly Joliestar has added elite level performance to her illustrious pedigree following a sublime effort to triumph in the G1 Thousand Guineas at Caulfield.
The Chris Waller-trained daughter of Zoustar was given a faultless ride by James McDonald and she duly ran out an emphatic winner of the Classic.
Joliestar broke well from her inside gate to trail the leader and was into open air 300 metres from home and lengthened stride impressively to sail clear by a length and a-half.
“She’s still only starting her career and we identified that she had talent right from the start,” Waller said.
Joliestar won her only two-year-old start last season at Warwick Farm before a break and then ran second on her return before consecutive seconds in the Listed Reginald Allen Stakes and the G3 Desirable Stakes.
“The progression of good horses is a lot easier than average horses, it’s as simple as that, and we’ve found the races and she’s turned up,” Waller said.
Joliestar was given the perfect ride by McDonald, who had been ultra confident of her chances at Caulfield.
“She’s such a good filly and I had a really good feeling about her and that she was building toward something big, her run for second at her last start was very good,” he said.
“With a really good gate we got an economical run and she was always going to produce.
“Brendan (Lindsay) told me a funny story before I got legged on and he said I’ve booked two tickets home and I said what, one for me, and he said no one for the trophy so he must have known.”
Joliestar was bred by Chris Barham and offered through the Segenhoe draft at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale and we went to A$950,000 to secure her.
“Cambridge Stud, Brendan and Jo Lindsay and Henry Plumptre, really liked her at the sale and we couldn’t afford her and fortunately we got her to train and their investment has been justified,” Waller said.
“They are a great nursery in New Zealand and spread their wings here in Australia each carnival so to train one for them with James McDonald aboard is pretty cool.”
Joliestar has a stellar pedigree as 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.
She is a sister to the Australian and international Group 1 winner and young stallion Merchant Navy.
All five of Jolie Bay’s progeny to race have been successful and includes the stakes performers Emperor and God Of Thunder.
Joliestar’s granddam Legally Bay was a Group 3 winner and multiple Group