Lindsay investment rewarded with Thousand Guineas victory

Serendipity was just one aspect of blue-blood filly Joliestar’s win in the A$1.5 million Gr. 1 Thousand Guineas at Caulfield last Saturday.
At A$950,000, the daughter of Zoustar had been the most expensive yearling purchased in 2022 by Cambridge Stud owners Brendan and Jo Lindsay, and Saturday’s A$900,000 first prize was the largest single stake ever won by a horse carrying their gold and black chequered colours.
But there’s a whole lot more to that single victory. It was yet another defining point in the Auckland couple’s quest to build a breeding and racing entity that they can be proud of.
That quest began in late 2017 with the Lindsays’ multi-million-dollar purchase of Cambridge Stud from another self-made Kiwi couple, Sir Patrick and Lady Justine Hogan. Many more millions have since been poured into the stud and the bloodstock underpinning the operation, and it would be an under-statement to say it hasn’t been plain sailing.
During a nightmare few months in the second half of 2019, the Cambridge Stud stallion roster lost high-profile shuttle Roaring Lion, emerging star Burgundy, and in a final cruel blow, resident champion Tavistock.
The Lindsays wouldn’t be deterred. Instead they doubled down on stallion investment, signing partnership agreements in high-profile European blood, first with champion middle-distance galloper Almanzor and then star sprinter Hello Youmzain.
They also took full ownership of domestic Group One winners Embellish and Sword of State, sons respectively of Australasian breed-shapers Savabeel and Snitzel.
Complementing that was a focus on upgrading the Cambridge Stud broodmare band. $380,000 Savabeel filly Probabeel was a massive result with four Australian Group Ones, $290,000 Darci Brahma filly Kahma Lass won the Gr. 1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas, and numerous others – either home-bred or purchased – have bolstered the band exponentially.
Alongside a team led by Cambridge Stud CEO Henry Plumptre, Brendan and Jo Lindsay have a hands-on approach to all aspects of operations, and in particular sale-ring and raceday activities. No better example was their purchase of Joliestar at last year’s Inglis Easter Yearling Sale.
“We went to Sydney fully intending to buy quality fillies, but the market was even stronger than we expected and we were getting out-bidded,” Brendan Lindsay recalled this week. “The one we had our hearts set on was the Zoustar out of Jolie Bay – Henry rated her 9.5, equal to anything since (champion 1990s filly) Merlene.
“We knew she wouldn’t be cheap, and to be honest we didn’t really have that sort of money set aside. But when Jo said ‘Enough of sitting here and missing out, we need to do something!’, that’s when we opened our shoulders and nailed it.
“That was a whole lot of money to spend on one horse, but now to think back to that decision and being rewarded with this big win, that sure makes up for the times when it doesn’t work out.”
Chris Waller was chosen as Joliestar’s trainer, taking a patient approach with a filly that was not a precocious two-year-old. She made a winning debut at a midweek Warwick Farm race meeting in June, and it’s interesting to recap a RaceForm article reflecting on that ominous start.
“She wasn’t cheap at $950,000 in Sydney, but if you want to get hold of those fillies with the big pedigrees, that’s what you have to pay,” Plumptre said. “Fillies like her are the future to add to the mix at Cambridge Stud, it’s what you have to do. Stumping up that sort of money won’t be forever, but it’s necessary if you want to be a serious player in this game.
“She’s quite a big filly that has needed patient handling, but it was great to see her do that. She can have five weeks off now, that will give her wither the chance to catch up with her back end.
“Whether she will be up for the good races in the spring, we’ll be guided by Chris on that, but if we have to wait until late summer-autumn, so be it. Races like the Surround Stakes in Sydney next autumn are worth waiting for.”
Joliestar has indeed lived up that potential, perhaps earlier than originally anticipated, but as Brendan Lindsay reflects, seeing James McDonald ride a perfect race for a perfect result makes it all worthwhile.
“It’s fantastic that she has won the first Group One race she’s been in, that has set a mark and anything more will be a bonus.
“Being there was just the best experience. I spoke with James before the race knowing full well that he and Chris would have all their bases covered, so I just threw in a line about buying two tickets for the flight home – one for me and one for the trophy!
“Afterwards Chris’s Melbourne stable manager Jo (Taylor) asked me if I’d like to lead her in, and when I said I’d never done that before, she gave me a quick rundown on what to do and handed me the lead.”
Lindsay was on an evening flight out of Melbourne and back at his Auckland home in the small hours to share the experience with his wife, who is still recovering from a hip injury suffered during a recent European holiday.
“We’ve got a decent team lining up at Pukekohe on Saturday and Jo’s hoping to be make it out there. That’s how we like to do it, together with the rest of the family and the guys who are making it happen for us.”