Former NZ shuttler Castledale sired a belated breakthrough winner in Australia when Zatopek Lane repaid his supporters at Mornington on Tuesday.

Zatopek Lane (3c Castledale – Zdenka by Western Symphony) was a beaten favourite in three previous outings at Ballarat, Geelong and Bendigo before saluting in the Motor Court Toyota Maiden over 2000 metres.

Castledale (Peintre Celebre) retired to Te Runga Stud at Pukekohe in 2006 but only a handful of his stock have made it to Australia.  He struggled in New Zealand with just 11 winners at a 39% strike-rate.

Zatopek Lane is trained by Anthony Freedman and he was a $90,000 buy for the Ramsden family’s William Street syndicate.  His dam Zdenka won four races in Melbourne and was also placed at G2 level in the 1998 Moonee Valley Gold Cup.  She is related to FBI champion Naturalism.

Castledale (Ire) won a Gowran Park juvenile before he was sold to Californian interests.  He won the G3 Generous Stakes and followed up in the G1 Santa Anita Derby before failing in a rain-affected 2004 Kentucky Derby.

At four, Castledale won the G1 Shoemaker Mile in a lightning 1.33.17s before retiring to Crestwood Farm in Kentucky.

Castledale has just one yearling from his final southern crop at Karaka in February.  The colt from Gulfstream (Yachtie) has been catalogued as Lot 1254 by Te Runga at the Festival Sale.