Having just his second race day start, the handsome colt Odeon just missed when
powering home in the Murray Cox 2YO (1400m) at Flemington, coming up a head short
in the $86,000 juvenile event.Prepared by the Ellerton/Zahra stable, it was just Odeon's second start after running an encouraging fourth at Sale earlier in the month. A son of the Theatrical mare Theatre Buff, a winner over 2400 metres and a great-granddaughter of the influential mare Terlingua, Odeon looks an exciting prospect for Melbourne's three-year-old staying features in the spring.
Odeon was bred by Kevin Hickman, a part-owner in Zacinto and was initially sold for $77,500 at the Karaka Select Sale, before being sold privately to clients of the Ellerton/Zahra stable.
Odeon was just the second Australian starter for first-season-sire Zacinto.
He followed after the Colin Little trained filly Navagio similarly stamped herself as a
potential black-type performer in the spring, barging her way to a close second to Yu Long Sheng in the Catanch's Jewellers Handicap (1200m) at
Caulfield earlier this month.Navagio was a $40,000 purchase by her trainer Colin Little from the Inglewood Stud draft at the 2013 Karaka Select Sale. She is the first runner for her dam Pikea, a full sister to G2 Villiers Stakes winner Dances On Waves, and a half-sister to the dam of this season's star Australian performer Preferment.
Inglewood Stud general manager, Gus Wigley, was obviously delighted with the results.
"Zacinto is off to a fantastic start to his career and it's great to see him making his mark on the Melbourne scene," he said. "They're not natural two-year-olds, the ones that have been showing up already look to be doing it on sheer ability, so hopefully we're in for an exciting spring."
"We increased his service fee after his stakes double and we closed his book within 24 hours of announcing the fee, so there is some real excitement out there about Zacinto."
Zacinto's Melbourne pair have continued an electric start with him being the only first season sire in Australasia this season to have left two stakes winners in Zig Wig and the massively hyped Ugo Foscolo.
To date he has had just the 13 starters, with his winners also including the promising young filly Wize Act, an impressive winner at Riccarton. His record also includes six placegetters, with Zakynthos recently a close second at his second raceday start and the ever consistent Zavistic placing in all four of his starts this season.
News from Inglewood Stud
