Zabeel sire Shadow Creek was represented by his first winner when Waasies Shadow was successful at the Sunshine Coast twilight meeting on Friday.

Waasies Shadow (3g Shadow Creek – Elegant Princess by Strategic) broke through at his fourth start in the XXXX Maiden Plate (1600m) for Ipswich trainer Mark Palmer.  He started an odds-on favourite after a two promising efforts since resuming from a spell and the win also included a QTIS bonus of $13,500.

Shadow Creek (NZ) is based at Kelana Park in Queensland for a $4,400 service fee.  He was bred by Sir Patrick and Lady Hogan and sold for $550,000 at the 2002 Inglis Australian Easter yearling sale.

The buyer was Gooree Stud owner Eduardo Cojuangco and the colt was sent to Lee Freedman.  There were no surprises about the choice of trainer.  Freedman also prepared Zabeel colt Don Eduardo who carried Gooree Stud’s colours to victory in the AJC Australian Derby in the same week as the yearling sales.

But Shadow Creek only faced the starter six times.  He scored at Cranbourne twice and his only unplaced run was in the Schweppes Cup (LR) at Caulfield won by Keep The Faith.  He went amiss after the second Cranbourne win as a March 3yo and didn’t race again.

“He produces stunning foals,” Kelana Park studmaster Trevor Johnson said.  “But they take after the sireline in that they need some time.”

Shadow Creek’s dam Abbaye is by Ahonoora and he was largely ignored when shuttling here in 1988.  Nevertheless, another of the fillies from that crop included Newcastle stakes winner Zodiac Miss who was exported to North America to foal Horse of the Year Azeri.

His Irish bred daughter Princess Tracy foaled the stakes-winner stallions Cullen, Danasinga and Towkay plus South Africa’s champion filly Tracy’s Element who is dam of current star racemare Typhoon Tracy.

Abbaye was trained by Alan Jones, however, her career was cut short after winning at Paeroa second time out.  There’s blue blood running through her veins as an older half-sister to Danewin and Commands.  And their dam Cotehele House (GB) is a half-sister to Zabeel’s first champion Octagonal.

Zabeel went on to sire champion after champion from Might And Power to Efficient.  Octagonal only sired one legitimate champion but that branch of the sireline is in safe hands with Lonhro.

The Zabeel sireline was on a winner in Queensland with Moon Rocket (Jpn) a few years ago but he died after just three seasons at stud.  His best was precocious filly Miss Watagan whereas Shadow Creek’s stock take time.

Waasies Shadow won his maiden over a mile and there’s more where he came from.  His dam Elegant Princess has a yearling filly by Shadow Creek and her latest foal by him is a colt born at Kelana Park on August 23.