Zabisco has been set for the 2014 Lord Stakes at Sandown on Boxing Day and has the chance to take winning form into the race by taking out the Booralite Park Handicap at the same venue tomorrow.
Zabisco stormed home late to record an impressive win in the 2014 Eclipse Stakes at Sandown on Zipping Classic Day. Photo by: Race Horse Photos Australia
Zabisco started his 2014 Spring Racing Carnival campaign with a credible fourth in the Listed Seymour Cup (1600m) on October 19 and he hit the line fairly when sixth in the Listed James Boag’s Premium Stakes (1800m) at Flemington on Melbourne Cup Day before he recorded the biggest win of his racing career to date when he scored a narrow victory over Pheidon in the Group 3 Eclipse Stakes (1800m) at Sandown on November 15.
Trainer Darren Weir told Racing Ahead that he is happy with the form and condition of Zabisco heading into the Booralite Park Handicap tomorrow and believes that the race will top him off nicely for the Listed Lord Stakes (1600m).
“He won well last start and he seems to be in good order,” Weir said.
“There is obviously a Listed mile race on Boxing Day that we are heading towards and we just felt that he needed another run in between.
“He has just been poking around down at the beach and he had a gallop on Monday there at Terang and he just strolled over a nice easy 1000.
“He got through that well and he appears to be in really good order.”
Zabisco has not shown a great deal of tactical speed since he made his debut in New Zealand under the care of David Greene and neither Mike Moroney nor Darren Weir have been able to inject that into the Zabeel entire.
The seven-year-old was settled towards the tail of the field before hitting the line strongly in the Eclipse Stakes and Weir believes that jockey Brad Rawiller will follow a similar pattern of the talented galloper in the Booralite Park Handicap.
“He will be back for sure,” Weir said.
“He is a get back run on sort of horse and he will be back in the field.”
Zabisco is currently available at Booralite Park Handicap odds of $2.90 and is a clear favourite to record back-to-back wins for the first time in his racing career.
Weir has a strong hand at Sandown tomorrow; with Taiyoo set to start favourites in the Winslow Group Handicap (1800m) and Bec Said No Credit, Heza Bargain and Live For Today all with a chance in their respective races.
