While Paul Maguire does not hold any official title in G1 Golden Slipper S., winner Stay Inside's (Extreme Choice) career, nobody knows better than the man who planned the mating that produced the colt, how unlikely it was that he came to be foaled in the first place.

Racing is full of sliding-doors moments, but few can match the 'what if' story of Stay Inside, bred from a stallion with fertility issues out of a mare whose breeding record is best described as patchy.

It was Maguire who sourced his dam, Nothin' Leica Storm (Anabaa {USA}), sight unseen out of the Inglis Sydney Weanling and Broodmare Sale for just $1000 in 2015 and started out the journey that six years later would lead to her colt's dominant win in the world's richest 2-year-old race at Rosehill on Saturday.

"I am always looking for hidden diamonds. I always used to go through the pass ins (lots)" Paul Maguire said.

"Myself and my wife, Lyn, we have always liked Anabaa mares and we try to ensure our mares are by the leading broodmare sires and 70 per cent of them would fit that category.

"We had bought another Anabaa mare earlier that same season and when Nothin' Leica Storm was passed in at an Inglis sale I rang Simon Vivian. I left a message to ask why this mare had fallen through the cracks, and he texted me back and asked if he could get back to me the next day."

For high-quality stallion Zoustar, there seems to be something about the straight sprints at Flemington with his progeny excelling in another Group 1 feature down the famous straight.

The son of Northern Meteor won the stallion-making G1 Coolmore Stud S. himself as a 3-year-old, and his first Group 1 triumph as a sire came when Sunlight, Zousain and Lean Mean Machine filled the trifecta in the same famous race five years later.

On Saturday, over the same course and 1200-metre distance, Zoustar sired his second individual Group 1 winner and, remarkably, his second Group 1 quinella. Zoutori carried the 57-kilogram topweight to a superb victory in the time-honoured Newmarket H., with the front-running Indian Pacific a close second in a desperate finish.

The Newmarket capped a treble of big victories on the day for Zoustar, who also won the G2 VRC Sires’ Produce S. earlier on the Flemington card with Lightsaber, while Glistening captured the G2 Reisling S. at Randwick. Debutant Solar Winds almost added another, going down by 0.2l in the G3 Black Opal S. on Sunday.

“It was another pretty amazing day for Zoustar on Saturday,” Widden Stud owner, Antony Thompson, told TDN AusNZ.

“We’ve always thought that the biggest day of his stud career was at Flemington a few years ago, when he sired the trifecta in the Coolmore with his first crop of 3-year-olds. He really announced himself that day, and that was certainly a very special moment in his stallion career. But in some ways, what he did yesterday had quite a similar feel to it.

Kalashnikov (2 c Capitalist - Rough Ride by Flying Spur) is the latest Capitalist (Written Tycoon) colt to throw his hat into the Golden Slipper (Gr 1, 1200m) ring after he battled to a hard-fought victory in the Black Opal Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m) at Canberra yesterday.

Trained by Paul and Peter Snowden, Kalashnikov followed up an impressive maiden win at Gosford last month with a head success over Solar Winds (Zoustar) in the Group 3 contest to become Capitalist’s third individual stakes winner and in turn strengthen his promising position in Golden Slipper and place atop the first season sire table.

The Newgate stallion will likely be represented by pre-race favourite Profiteer and the Skyline Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m)-placed Captivant in the $3.5 million March 20 feature, which Capitalist won in 2016.

Paul Snowden believes Kalashnikov has every right to join the party after yesterday’s win.

“He was always going to get the run of the race today and obviously James (McDonald) adds another dimension to it,” Snowden said.

“As long as he comes through it well, there is no reason not to line up (in the Golden Slipper). He deserves a spot now.”

Settled in prime position behind early leader Rocket Tiger (Cluster), Kalashnikov saved ground along the rail before moving off heels into the clear at the 300-metre mark.

Widden Stud resident Zoustar had a day to remember at Flemington highlighted by his sons Zoutori and Indian Pacific dominating the finish of the G1 Newmarket H., and his juveniles delivering top performances in Sydney and Melbourne.

A dual Group 1 winner himself, Zoustar enjoyed a magical day with Zoutori claiming top honours in the G1 Seppelt Wines Newmarket H. at the expense of Indian Pacific and another son Lightsaber had earlier landed the G2 MSS Security Sires’ Produce S.

Lightsaber’s trainer Peter Moody is now considering a trip to Sydney for the G1 Golden Slipper S. and a race on the program for Zoustar’s daughter Glistening, who booked her spot for trainers Richard and Michael Freedman following her front-running victory in the G2 Yarraman Park Reisling S.

Zoutori, who was fourth in the Newmarket 12 months ago, left his rivals with no excuses after he gave weight and a beating to hand trainers Mathew Ellerton and Simon Zahra one of the most satisfying wins of their training careers.

“It’s just great and I don’t usually get too nervous pre-race, but I was a little bit toey today. He had come on really well since the Oakleigh Plate,” Ellerton said.