Zaaki the Star at Flemington as he defeats classy field in Mile
If the purpose of the $5 million All-Star Mile (1600m) was to see the cream rise to the top, that certainly proved the case yesterday as arguably the leading candidate to be named Australian Horse of the Year, Zaaki (7 g Leroidesanimaux – Kesara by Sadler’s Wells), added his name to the race’s fledgling honour roll.
On a day in which one of his main rivals for the crown, defending champion Verry Elleegant (Zed), was subject to a shock defeat in the Ranvet Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m), Zaaki proved himself as one of the best in the land with an imperious victory in the world’s richest mile race, run this year at Flemington.
Trainer Annabel Neasham had told anyone who would listen that she felt Zaaki’s best trip was a mile and, while that may remain a matter of debate, he put forward a performance that could only have added weight to that point of view.
Sent forward by Jamie Kah from the outside gate, Zaaki dictated before kicking away to score with an air of arrogance, holding a margin of a length and a half over I’m Thunderstruck (Shocking) with a further three-quarters of a length to rank outsider Streets Of Avalon (Magnus) in third.
Having spent much of the last three weeks with Zaaki in Melbourne, Neasham watched on from Rosehill, having returned to Sydney in recent days.
“A $5 million race, it’s unbelievable,” Neasham said. “There’s a great ownership group involved in him. I don’t know why I was worried at the top of the straight, I needn’t be. He’s just unbelievable. I get very nervous when he’s running, it just feels like relief but elation as well.”
On track for the stable was Neasham’s assistant Todd Pollard, himself a very able horseman who has experienced racing all over the world as a Godolphin Flying Start graduate. The Kiwi lauded the horse’s achievements, having made his Australian debut nearly a year ago.
“It’s great to see. The horse deserves it so much. He puts in 110 per cent every time. Sometimes things don’t go his way but full credit to the horse, the team at home, Annabel and the owners, it’s good reward for the whole team,” Pollard said.
“Twelve months ago, he hadn’t raced in Australia but, based on his couple of trials before the Doncaster, we thought we had a pretty nice horse. Still, you never know until race day. He’s a great animal, he knows when it’s race day and he’s easy to deal with. It’s unbelievable.”
Pollard was a key part of the team that prepared Zaaki for the Cox Plate (Gr 1, 2040m) last year, a race for which he was a hot favourite for months before his race morning scratching. Now, with wins in the Mackinnon Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m) and the All-Star Mile since, Pollard believes that the British import can set the record straight at Moonee Valley in October.
“That was the lowest of lows,” he said. “It was so disappointing for everyone involved, so for him to win a race like this, hopefully he’ll be back in the Cox Plate this year for some unfinished business. Bring it on.”
For now, though, a return to Sydney is on the cards where a clash with Verry Elleegant, her Ranvet Stakes conqueror Montefilia (Kermadec), dominant Rosehill Guineas (Gr 1, 2000m) winner Anamoe (Street Boss) and Australian Cup (Gr 1, 2000m) heroine Duais (Shamus Award) awaits in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m).
“We’ll enjoy this for now, but certainly the Queen Elizabeth will be the target,” Neasham said. “And if we don’t get James McDonald at least we’ve found another pilot that gets on with him well. She’s (Jamie Kah) a star.”
The praise was mutual after the premiership-winning jockey combined with the leading trainer, with Kah expressing admiration for Neasham’s loyalty and trust.
“She’s an absolute legend, she doesn’t put too many instructions or plans in your head,” Kah said. “She’s backed me all the way through. We were booked for this horse a while out and she’s supported me through everything in the last year and it’s just amazing for her and her team. They just turn these horses around time and time again. She deserves it, the owners deserve it and I’m pretty happy I was the one that got to sit on him.”
Kah’s victory came after a tumultuous season in which she missed the spring due to a breach of Covid-19 protocols. The mild-mannered rider expressed rare emotion when celebrating her win, saying that it had added importance after the three-month suspension.
“It just means so much more after coming back and what we had to go through, I missed out on so many big opportunities through spring,” she said. “It was just so special, he’s just a machine. There’s a lot of pressure riding a horse like him and not that I’m one that really feels it but I’ve been runner-up in a few of the big ones lately and it’s just so nice to get the job done on a horse like him.
“It’s pretty simple when you ride a horse like him, you’ve just got to get him into his rhythm and he’s just an absolute machine when you let him do his thing and I felt that on the turn, but sometimes those horses don’t sustain that and he’s just the opposite. He’s a superstar, he just gets stronger and stronger.”