Australian Gr3 Win For Broodmare Sire Spectrum

Zanbagh’s vice-like grip on the Australian Oaks – and a bid to emulate her mother’s heroics – strengthened as the outstanding filly landed Guy Walter an unprecedented fifth Keith Nolan Classic at Kembla Grange on Sunday. A daughter of Bernardini, she is out of Wild Iris by Spectrum.

All the rage in the 1600m feature, Zanbagh profited from a heads-up ride from Blake Shinn to rush to victory in the $200,000 group 3 race. It gave Walter his fourth win in the race in the past seven years.

Zanbagh will start favourite for the Vinery Stud Stakes (2000m) at Rosehill on Golden Slipper day before tackling the Australian Oaks (2400m), a race her mother won, a fortnight after that. And prominent owner Sandy Tait reckons Zanbagh will be every bit as good a hope as winning the Oaks as her dam.

“I think she probably could be [better than Wild Iris],” said Tait, who raced arguably Walter’s best horse Tie The Knot. “She’s got a more electric sprint, which you need at the end of a staying race.

“She’s always been a very attractive filly with a very good temperament. She’s maybe on the small side a little bit and her mother, Wild Iris, was a very solid and stocky type of filly. [Zanbagh’s] more refined. She probably gets that from Bernardini and it’s worked out an amazingly good cross.” Zanbagh placed second in the Gr 1 Victoria Oaks last year.

A dual Gr 1 winner including the Irish 2000 Guineas, Spectrum has stamped himself as a broodmare sire extraordinaire over the years – including the likes of upcoming sire Dutch Art and Winchester, as well as the recently retired five-time Gr 1 winner Moonlight Cloud.

In South Africa his recent successes include the likes of Tellina – winner of the Gr 2 Betting World Gauteng Guineas and Gr 3 London News Stakes.

Standing at Koos and Lorraine De Klerk’s Yellow Star Stud, Spectrum is the sire of 1341 progeny to race, 785 winners (58.0%), earnings of over $59 million, 42 stakes winners and 53 stakes placegetters.