The Anabel Neasham-trained Zaaki (GB) left few in doubt that he was the best horse in Saturday’s $5million Seppelt Wines All-Star Mile at Flemington.
Jamie Kah made her intentions clear from the start, when easing the European import across from an outside barrier to sit outside the pacesetting Callsign Mav.
Striking the front a long way from home, Zaaki (GB) was there to be beaten as a succession of challengers lined up behind him.
But the challenge never eventuated. The son of Leroidesanimaux turned back one challenge after another and was one and a half lengths clear of the runner-up I’m Thunderstruck.
The underrated Street of Avalon (Magnus) cash another cheque, finishing three-quarter of a length behind the runner-up.
Zaaki (GB) advances his record to eleven wins, four seconds and six thirds from 32 starts with earnings of $6,183,357.
An emotional Neasham said she was a bundle of nerves
“I don’t know why I was worried at the top of the straight, I needn't be. He’s just unbelievable,” Neasham said.
“I get very nervous when he’s running, it just feels like relief but elation as well.
“A 5 million dollar race. It’s unbelievable. There’s a great ownership involved in him.
“We’ll enjoy this for now, but certainly the Queen Elizabeth will be the target, and if we don’t get James (McDonald) at least we’ve found another pilot that gets on with him well. She’s a star.”
Kah said it was a special moment after missing the spring.
“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,” Kah 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.
“That was the plan I had, I never for one minute thought it’d be easy to get there but in the end it was relatively smooth enough. I thought we were going pretty well on the turn, when he’s ridden like this he’s just a different horse. It gave me goosebumps trotting back in, it was very special.
“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.
“She (Annabel Neasham) an absolute legend, she doesn’t put too many instructions or plans in your head. 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.”
Winner of the Group III York Strensall Stakes at York, Group III Diomed Stakes at Epsom and the Listed Paradise Stakes at Ascot when trained by Sir Michael Stoute, Zaaki (GB) was a 40,000gns purchase by Ahmad Alotaibi out of the Staffordstown draft at the 2016 Tattersalls October Yearling Sale.
Zaaki (GB) was third behind Benbatl in the 2019 Group II Joel Stakes at Newmarket.
Zaaki (GB) was bought by Blandford Bloodstock / Annabel Neasham Racing for 150,000gns out of the Freemason Lodge Stables draft at the 2020 Tattersalls Autumn Horses In Training Sale.
A half-brother to stakes-placed Kirks Ryker (Selkirk), the Kirsten Rausing-bred Zaaki (GB) is the best of six winners from eight to race out of the Sadler's Wells mare Kesara, a half-sister to the dual Listed stakes-winner Persona Grata (Sir Percy).
