The Warrior Wins

Zambezi Warrior (4 g Pentire - Zambezi, by Zabeel) made it two wins from three starts in this campaign when taking out the La Nuova Apparelmaster 1800 on 18 November at New Plymouth.

In what became a tactical affair between the six runners, jockey Matt Cameron had Zambezi Warrior poised in fourth before working through to join issue with Prize Lad (Darci Brahma) inside the 600m and after mastering his rival at the 100m went on to score comfortably.

Following a classy win fresh up at Pukekohe, not all had gone to plan next time out at Ellerslie, but having finished second at his only course attempt to subsequent Queensland Oaks (Gr. 1, 2400m) winner Provocative (Zabeel) a return to the venue provided a fitting result for the $2.20 race favourite.

Winning four times from eleven starts, the horse purchased by David Ellis for $75,000 at the 2014 New Zealand Bloodstock Premier Yearling Sale, from the draft of Goodwood Stud, for the Te Akau 2014 Cups' Syndicate, can now look to raise the bar.

“It was a good confidence boosting win for him and we'll look to step him up towards the Dunstan Feeds' Series and he holds nominations for all the big cup races,” said Jamie Richards, who co-trains with Stephen Autridge.

“It was a good win in (slow) ground that was slightly beyond him.

“They'd had some rain late in the day and it's become a bit puggy but he won well enough and it's sometimes not easy in small fields.  He's a horse that once he gets past the one in front of him, he is quite happy to cruise along but had something come up alongside him I think he would have quickened up again,” Richards said.

His grand-dam, Tall Poppy (Kaapstad), was a high-class racehorse. A beautiful black mare with a fantastic turn of foot and determination to match, Tall Poppy won eleven races from 1400 metres to 2000m and culminated her career by winning the NZ Stakes (Gr. 1, 2000m) at Ellerslie. At the highest level, she also won the Thorndon Mile (Gr. 1, 1600m), Waikato Sprint (Gr. 1, 1400m), two Group Two races and two Listed.

Continuing the theme in the family of prolific wins, his third dam Fun on the Run (Racing Is Fun) won 18 races including the Jarden Mile (Gr. 1, 1600m) at Trentham.

Zambezi Warrior has franked the thoughts that led to Ellis buying him.

“He was an outstanding first foal from a highly talented mare that was trained by Te Akau,” Ellis said. “Zambezi was a genuine cups' mare before injury curtailed her career and this horse looks like a great staying type."

Richards said: “It was good to have owners Donna & Robert Rudd on course and he's a horse that David (Ellis) bought at Karaka that is only going to keep improving”.

Zambezi Warrior was strapped by Te Akau apprentice Wiremu Pinn.

Photo credit - www.raceimages.co.nz

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