Outstanding mare Zarita has been retired after failing to live up to expectations in Saturday's Group Two Queen Of The South Stakes at Morphettville.The dual Group One winner ran fifth as the short-priced favourite, beaten less than 1-1/2 lengths in the 1600m fillies and mares feature won by Returntosender.In a moderately run race, Zarita was midfield throughout in the 10-horse field."She didn't run home as well as we would have liked her to," said trainer Pat Hyland."The last 100 metres was the
Outstanding mare Zarita has been retired after failing to live up to expectations in Saturday's Group Two Queen Of The South Stakes at Morphettville.
The dual Group One winner ran fifth as the short-priced favourite, beaten less than 1-1/2 lengths in the 1600m fillies and mares feature won by Returntosender.
In a moderately run race, Zarita was midfield throughout in the 10-horse field.
"She didn't run home as well as we would have liked her to," said trainer Pat Hyland.
"The last 100 metres was the best part of her race but at the end of the day it wasn't up to what she can do."
Hyland, who also trained the smart filly Saleous to win two Group One races - the 1995 VRC Oaks and the 1996 STC Ansett Australia Stakes - said Zarita was the best horse he had prepared.
Raced by the Frost family, five-year-old Zarita had 33 starts for nine wins and seven placings and more than $1.65 million prize money.
By Pentire out of the Defensive Play mare Gin Player, Zarita won the 2008 Australasian Oaks (2000m) and the South Australian Derby (2500m) as a three-year-old.
She also won five Group Two races, the most recent being the Sunline Stakes (1600m) at Moonee Valley three starts ago in February.
Two of her career best performances were when she finished fourth to Maldivian in the 2008 Cox Plate and fourth to Niconero in the 2009 Australian Cup, beaten only 1-1/2 lengths on each occasion.
The mare will go to stud this spring but no decision on which stallion she'll be mated with has been made at this stage.