First Stakes Win for Sunlight Sister
Blue-blood Zoustar filly Clean Energy has clearly inherited more than a splattering of her sibling’s ability, keeping her record perfect at two for two while opening her stakes account in Saturday’s Listed City Property Services Bill Carter Stakes (1200m) at Doomben.
The Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained filly showed wet ground was no problem when winning a midweek on a heavy track at Warwick Farm on debut. She had the Snitzel filly Lady Shenandoah behind her in third place that day, and the bluebloods were in a class of their own in the Bill Carter Stakes.
With Adam Hyeronimus in the saddle, Clean Energy settled outside the leader, Zatanna. Hitting the front at the 300m, the daughter of Zoustar was always holding the challenge of Lady Shenandoah, who closed to three-quarters of a length on the line.
Clean Energy is a smart 2YO! ⚡️
The full sister to Sunlight claims the Listed Bill Carter Stakes. 💚@GaiWaterhouse1 @YulongInvest pic.twitter.com/LoOoLtPfpM
— 7HorseRacing 🐎 (@7horseracing) May 25, 2024
“Lovely to see the nice progression from her. It is important for her to come away at this point of her career; she is still very lightly raced and still new,” Adrian Bott said.
“I think this trip away is really going to help her going forward.
“We’ve got bigger things in store, and you have not seen the best of her yet. She’s a very progressive filly, and I think today has been a real positive. We’ll see that improvement in the spring.
“She’s got phenomenal balance, everything is in proportion and everything is as it should be. You could look at her all day parading there.”
Stakes goals in the spring are where Clean Energy is ultimately headed and she has already banked over $131,000 in her first two starts for her owners, who include Yulong and the Coolmore partners.
“Vin (Cox) is here today and we’ll have a chat with Yulong and Coolmore with regard to what we do with her. Initial thoughts are looking towards the spring. We want to look after her and we do hold over a nomination for the Sires’ next week,” said Bott.
“Whether that is something we want to look at, it is in the back of our minds, but there are a lot of things to consider other than that.”
A $2.6million Magic Millions purchase for Yulong from Widden Stud, Clean Energy is a full sister to Champion Filly Sunlight, a triple Group I winning $6.5million earner and Group III winner Sisstar being the eighth winner from nine foals to race from super producing Group III winner Solar Charged.
She was the second highest priced yearling at Magic Millions in 2023 and was the highest priced yearling filly sold anywhere in Australia for that year.
The yearling full brother to Clean Energy sold at Inglis Easter for $850,000 to China Horse Club / Newgate / Go Bloodstock / Trilogy and Solar Charged is now back in foal to Zoustar after missing to him in 2022.
Solar Charged has produced a number of expensive yearlings with three year-old Kandinsky Abstract topping the list at $3million. He has won two of seven starts for champion trainer Chris Waller, but will be doing his future racing as a gelding following a below par showing in the Listed ATC South Pacific Classic on April 13.
Clean Energy is the 54th stakes-winner for Zoustar and is his 15th Australian stakes-winner this season.
