The return of Efficient to his outstanding best in the Turnbull Stakes at Flemington took Zabeel’s Group 1 tally to 81.

The staggering level of success at the elite level of competition betters even the deeds of Zabeel’s own sire Sir Tristram whose progeny won 72 Group 1 races during his long-and-illustrious career.

Efficient (Zabeel – Refused to Dance, by Defensive Play) has now won in excess of $4.5 million and takes his Group 1 winning tally to three.  He won the Victoria Derby at three; the Melbourne Cup at four and now adds the Turnbull Stakes as a six-year-old.

Bred by Bloodstock Resources & Cambridge Hunt Ltd; Efficient was raised at Gordon Cunningham’s Curraghmore Stud who sold him on behalf of his breeders at the 2005 Karaka Premier Sale.  The buyer was Graeme Rogerson at $220,000.

Maldivian, also by Zabeel, looked very much on target for the Caulfield Cup when finishing a close-up fourth behind Efficient, while another star Zabeel stayer, Fiumicino, did well to finish third in The Metropolitan-G1 in trying conditions at Royal Randwick.

For the record, Zabeel is the sire of 121 individual black type winners.  No less than 38 of his stakes winners have won at Group 1 level. Collectively this group has won 81 Group 1 races.

Zabeel is busy serving mares at Cambridge Stud in his 19th year of stud duties.