There will be more factors against Zaaki than with him when the eight-year-old returns in the All Aged Stakes at Randwick on Saturday.
Father Time continues to tick against Zaaki, and there was a setback from an inoculation early on in this preparation. Then there is the fact that the 1400m group 1 is usually the cumulation of a campaign rather than the beginning of one for the nation’s best sprinters.
Zaaki revels in the heavy ground to win the Tramway Stakes at Randwick last year.Credit: Getty
But those who know him best point to his unbeaten record over the Randwick 1400m course in two Tramway Stakes, a good barrier trial, and the fact that some of his sharpest performances have been fresh.
Champion jockey James McDonald, who has seven wins from nine rides on the Annabel Neasham-trained Zaaki, could have ridden half of the field in the All Aged but opted for his old mate after he cruised around the Randwick synthetic track 12 days ago.
“I rode him in the trial back in February and he felt awful. He wasn’t the horse that was winning group 1s,” McDonald said. “To Annabel’s credit, she just stopped with him and gave him time, and the other day he was back to his quirky self.
“I have had a lot to do with him and that was the real Zaaki.”
The plan for Zaaki had been the Canterbury Stakes at the start of the carnival in March with an eye to international glory in Hong Kong at the end of this month.
But it was in the preparation for that trip that Zaaki went from being airborne to grounded between his first two autumn barrier trials after he had a bad reaction to an inoculation for travel.
It would be a great piece of training if Zaaki can come back and win the All Aged Stakes against some of the best sprinters in the country and an interesting visitor from Japan.
McDonald was always keen to stay with Zaaki, and he got the incentive he needed on the same day that he tested Golden Rose winner Jacquinot at the Randwick trials.
“You have a star three-year-old with his best in front of him, but I know Zaaki, and he was in the right place and felt amazing,” McDonald said. “It was a tough decision but I went with what I know.
“You have to remember some of Zaaki’s best runs have been first up at 1400m because he loves the pressure of these type of races.
“He is adaptable and goes on any ground, and you can ride him in any position at this shorter trip and he will still have kick for you.”
McDonald will want to keep a close eye on Japanese raider Ho O Amazon, which is an unknown quantity heading into Saturday.
His trainer, Yoshito Yahagi, has been a master of taking the right horses on international raids from Japan and admits the King Kamehameha five-year-old has come to Australia because it’s a winnable group 1 at 1400m for a horse that can’t compete with the best in his homeland over 1600m.
“There’s no seven-furlong group 1 race in Japan so that’s the reason he runs in mile group 1s, but he’s best suited at 1400m,” Yahagi said.
“He is quite versatile. He can lead; I think we will be positive. I’m not concerned about a wet track. We’re looking for heavy ground.”
From limited opportunities over 1400m in Japan, Ho O Amazon has been placed at group 2 and group 3 level. His biggest win came in the Arlington Cup, a group 3 race of 1600m on a soft track.
Yahagi flew into Sydney on Thursday and was happy with the improvement Ho O Amazon had taken in the lead-up to the All Aged, but he was respectful of his Australian rivals.
“Last time I was here he wasn’t quite there yet, but in the past seven days he’s really improved a lot and he looks like he’s ready,” he said. “I think he will be getting there in the right condition.
“The Australian sprinters are high quality and it is a good field he’s racing against. Hopefully, he can run a good race to show he has a good future.”
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