Williams produces more Zabeels

Owner Lloyd Williams has raced plenty of the progeny of Zabeel with great success and on Wednesday at Sandown another pair by the champion stallion, Conscribe and Indite, make their race debuts.

Williams' best Zabeels have been Efficient, winner of the 2007 Melbourne Cup and 2006 Victoria Derby, and Gallic who won the 2007 Adelaide Cup, Sydney Cup and Mooney Valley Cup.

Another, Subscribe, was sold to Hong Kong where he races as Vengeance Of Rain and has claimed six Group One races including the 2007 Sheema Classic in Dubai.

Whether Conscribe and Indite can reach such heights remains to be seen but hope springs eternal with Williams who is eager to see the two three-year-old geldings step out in Wednesday's Punchestown Hcp (1300m).

"Indite has a bit of ability, he's a lovely type of horse but's it's a bit wait and see with these Zabeels," Williams said.

His private trainer John Sadler had 23 horses in the jumpouts at Flemington last Friday including stable star Efficient.

As with the majority of Williams' horses, the two three-year-olds lack little in the breeding department, Conscribe being out of the Danasinga mare Sylvaner and Indite being from the Volksraad mare Zola.

Zola won five races including the 1998 Group One NZ Sires' Produce Stakes at Ellerslie before going on to be three-times Group Two-placed in Sydney including when runner-up to the great Sunline in the 1998 Tea Rose Stakes at Rosehill.

Sylvaner won nine races including three at Group Two level, the 2004 Sunline Stakes at Moonee Valley and the 2002 and 2003 Marsh Classic at Morphettville, and three Listed races.

Michael Rodd will ride Conscribe, who drew barrier 13, while apprentice Nick Hall will pilot Indite who drew gate one in the 15-horse field.

One of the more interesting runners in Wednesday's event is the Bart Cummings-trained Star Ripper.

The colt is by champion sire Encosta De Lago out of 1997 Cox Plate winner Dane Ripper.

The half-brother to Sydney winner Switchblade hasn't raced since finishing last to Amelia's Dream in the Group Two Silver Slipper Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill at his only start in mid-March when he was slowly away and subsequently vetted.

The Mark Riley-trained filly Bumboulina, a daughter of Lago Delight, will be at home on the heavy (9) track having won her only start by 4-1/2 lengths on a heavy surface over 1300m at Pakenham at her race debut on August 4.

Meanwhile, the David Hayes-trained Largo Lad resumes in Wednesday's Leopardstown Hcp (1400m).

The Encosta De Lago gelding ran a slashing fourth to Dealer Principal in the Rosehill Guineas at his first outing for Hayes after being bought out of the John Ledger stable at Wangaratta.

He had worked brilliantly on a bog track before his last-start failure when second-last to Nom Du Jeu in the AJC Australian Derby at Randwick.

The four-year-old is nominated for the Caulfield Cup, Cox Plate and Melbourne Cup and can be expected to run a forward race first-up with three-time premier Melbourne jockey Craig Williams in the saddle.