Coolmore’s St Mark’s Basilica lands first Australian winner

Coolmore stallion St Mark’s Basilica has posted his first Australian winner, with promising colt Aristopolos breaking through on debut at Launceston on Wednesday.

The John Blacker-trained two-year-old finished strongly under jockey Erica Byrne Burke to score over 1100m, becoming just the third southern hemisphere runner for the champion son of Siyouni.

Aristopolos was a $60,000 purchase from Armidale Stud’s draft at the 2026 Tasmanian Yearling Sale and has already added to the growing list of early milestones for St Mark’s Basilica.

The multiple Group 1-winning stallion made an immediate impact with his first European crop of two-year-olds, producing 23 winners to date — including three stakes winners, highlighted by Prix Marcel Boussac heroine Diamond Necklace.

On the same Launceston program, Megalita — an Earthlight half-brother to popular Group 2-winning Tasmanian mare Still A Star — claimed victory in race two.