Twelve months after announcing himself to Australia with a facile win in the Group II Hollindale Stakes at the Gold Coast, Zaaki (GB) returned to the scene on Saturday to defend his title as arguably the best horse in the land.
Ridden by James McDonald for Annabel Neasham, Zaaki (GB) controlled the race from the front.
The 7yo son of Leroidesanimaux kept up a relentless gallop in the straight to defeat the mudlark Polly Grey (Azamour) by three-quarter of a length with Kukeracha (Night Of Thunder) a half-length back in third.
After winning the Hollindale last year, Zaaki (GB) trotted up by seven lengths in the Doomben Cup, and he will take the same route this year.
"This is the freshest he's been. He had a bit of a bronc with James (McDonald) when he got down on the track, and then my only worry is if I've left him too fresh and is he going to travel too strongly," Neasham said.
"James knows him so well, and he took luck out of the equation. For a moment there, I thought the second two horses were coming thick and fast, and credit to them, they kept him very honest all the way to the line - but he was too good.
"He is just such a star this horse. This was his first win 12 months ago, and he's won so much for us. He's given us so much pleasure, and he doesn't seem to be getting any (older), so hopefully, we'll be back again next year.
"It's pretty testing ground out there, and it's quite pluggy. Again, it's another unknown with him how he'd go on that ground. I suppose we had a little bit of confidence after the Queen Elizabeth that he would handle it.
"Doomben Cup for sure in two weeks. The forecast is absolutely treacherous, but we'll press forward to there, and he'll be cherry ripe. That might've just hopefully knocked that little bit of freshness out of him."
Zaaki (GB) advances his record to 12 wins, five seconds, and six third from 34 starts with earnings of $7,233,357.
Like Friday’s Wagga Cup winner Aleas (GB), Zaaki (GB) was bred by Landwades Stud’s Kirsten Rausing.
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 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), he 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).
