OTI has acquired a minority interest in a French son of Zoustar named Everything Counts.
Two-year-old colt Everything Counts was a stunning debut winner in the €27,000 (approximately A$42,000) Prix de La Pommeraie (1500m) at Deauville’s all-weather track on November 29, the race restricted to unraced juvenile colts and geldings.
Everything Counts settled next to last and rushed home widest of all to snatch victory from 10th at the 400m-mark, his final two furlongs clocked in 22.71 seconds.
The performance resulted in OTI Racing and leading French owner/breeder Gerard Augustin-Normand purchasing a quarter-share each in Everything Counts while his original owners retain 50 per cent.
Among Everything Counts original ownership group are trainers Fabrice Vermeulen and Pia Brandt, the latter owning 20 per cent and entrusted to train the colt in partnership with husband Joakim.
“Everything Counts was a very impressive debut winner, we will leave him with Pia Brandt for at least his three-year-old year,” Henderson said. “He will go on a Guineas (Poule d’Essai des Poulains) campaign, and we will see how he goes.
“He looks to be a Zoustar that runs 1600 metres which is the maximum his progeny normally goes. Zoustar is doing an amazing job as a stallion.
“He is an opportunistic buy, we bought Tigrais similarly and we’re following that formula again.”
Tigrais raced twice for breeder and original owner Christophe Brun before OTI Racing and Augustin-Normand bought the filly and won the G3 Prix La Rochette (1400m) at her first run for the partnership.
Zoustar is the headline act for Widden Stud, based in the New South Wales Hunter Valley, and shuttles to Tweenhills Stud in Britain, home of Qatar Racing’s stallions.
Everything Counts is out of Tagula mare Lauren Louise, who has produced two-year-old stakes winners Blaine and Bogart. Both were prepared by British trainer Kevin Ryan.
The above is an excerpt from an article written by Carl di Iorio for racing.com and can be read in full here.