It's been an excellent summer so far for Kodiac and that continued on Friday as his high-class and reliable daughter Zarinsk captured the Group 2 Minstrel Stakes at Leopardstown, her third Group-race victory of the season.
The Juddmonte-homebred was happy to take a lead from Snapraeterea and was ready to pounce as that leader capitulated, quickening clear to bag an important advantage which she held all the way to the line.
It was her fifth win in nine starts and followed that in the Group 3 Brownstown Stakes and Cornelscourt Stakes earlier in the season.
"She's been a queen all season," said trainer Ger Lyons. "You can see her today in the ring, she looks like a mare now, she's after maturing lovely and you'd nearly say she's still improving.
“They boys have copped on to her and they won't give her an easy lead but it just shows that she's maturing and we can ride a race on her, which is great. We've got the best man in the business to do that.
“It leaves us a lovely option now with the Matron, Champions Weekend is huge. Power Under Me [by Mehmas] can go for the Boomerang, ground being right and this rain doesn't look like it's going to stop, and Zarinsk can go for the Matron. We have a free shot at it now which is fantastic."
She continues a great run for Kodiac that also features Saturday's Weatherbys Super Sprint winner Relief Rally, Group 1 Prix Jean Prat hero Good Guess, Listed Empress Stakes winner Star Of Mystery and Listed Swedish scorer City Code.
Zarinsk enjoyed the highlight of her juvenile campaign at last year’s Irish Champions Weekend when the easy winner of the Listed Ingabelle Stakes. Bred by Juddmonte Farms, she is out of the Listed-winning Arch mare Pavlosk, a member of Juddmonte’s excellent Zaizafon family also responsible for Zafonic and Zamindar.
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