THE PETLEY REPORT: ZAAKI, AYRTON, CONVERGE AND TOFANE ON TOP ON A DAY OF MANY HIGHLIGHTS

By Jack Petley | Sunday, June 13, 2021

What a day of highlights. What a day of rising stars on the Australian racing scene!

It's been a tough 18 months in the land of Oz, but racing has been able to wade through the worries and has come out the other end ever so strong. There will be a little break in major racing now, but not long and it will all be on again, top horses racing for super stakes.

And those rising stars from yesterday, Zaaki, Ayrton, Converge and brilliant win also from the NZ bred mare Tofane.

And what about the jockeys, the Collett family had a big, big day. Alysha won five at Newcastle, Jason, two in the City and then there is Jacob Opperman who landed a five timer in Adelaide, his best since a treble in March. And what about crack apprentice Reese Jones, who booted home four at Royal Randwick. Wow.

Back to the horses … firstly Zaaki. The European import wound up a wonderful carnival for his trainer Annabelle Neasham with that, yet again, stunning win in the Sky Racing Q22. Off the home bend he was under a hold from James McDonald. Then the Kiwi sent him forward. It was all over in a flash. The top galloper was inclined to drift a little, but McDonald quickly put his mind back on the job at hand. No sooner had he pulled up then his odds for the Cox Plate were cut to $3.20 ahead of that great Kiwi mare Verry Elleegant, at $8. And in the UK his odds were even shorter, 3-1. Now McDonald has a decision, which way will he jump if both top weight for age gallopers tackle the Cox Plate?

Ayrton, like Zaaki, was so, so impressive. Made up for that defeat in the Fred Best with a decisive win over 1600 metres. Now he heads to the paddock with co trainer Mick Price already pencilling in the $7.5 million Golden Eagle in Sydney in the spring and his odds have been cut for that and he sits at $15 in Cox Plate betting. Ayrton was bred in NZ by Cambridge accountant Greg McCarthy and he still remains in the ownership after he had been sold after a trials placing . "He's got a good set of lungs," said McDonald. "I think a mile for him is beautiful."

Converge was just too good for a field packed with talent in the JJ Atkins. This is usually a stallion making race to win, but not for this tough looking two-year-old.He is a gelding so we will see much more of him from the powerful Bott-Waterhouse yard. Here I would like to pay tribute to winning rider Tim Clark, one of the most under rated riders in Sydney. He rode the son of Frankel a treat. Covered up midfield against the rail early, off before the home bend, into the open soon after and then to a great win. Looking forward to seeing him in the spring.

Tofane … a great result for Kiwi, big Mike Moroney. It had looked as though the mare by Ocean Park and bred by Gordon Cunningham, would be sold at the recent booming broodmare sale on the Gold Coast, but Moroney felt she still have races in her and so kept her in the yard after the owners has decided to extend her racing career. A solid third the time before showed she was ready for the Stradbroke and, under a fine ride by Craig Williams, she had a great set to with local Vega One and gained her big group of owners $900,000 reasons why the Moroney decision was the right one.

Alysha Collett who is riding with so much dash kicked off her big day at Newcastle with a win on Pensera for Brad Widdup and that gave her the 500th winner of her career. Then she proceeded to win on Queen Bellissimo, Honeycreeper for Godolphion, Linguee for Kim Waugh and last but certainly not the least, Briars Kingdom for Team Snowden. To me she looks a City rider, but nonetheless she is making a big name for herself on the provincial circuit and now is gaining the backing of the powerful Sydney yards.

Jason Collett landed his first winner on the Bjorn Baker, Malkovich, all the way too, and then he took out the last race of the day on Cisco Bay. Reese Jones gained his wins on Casino Kid, Gravina, Opacity and New Arrangement. Opacity, by Ocean Park, was the leader of a trifecta result for NZ breds, with Order Again (by Iffraaj) second and Kirwan's Lane (Charm Spirit), third. The winner sports the colours of Champion Thoroughbreds, with the principal Jason Abrahams taking him out of the Karaka ring for $75,000 for trainer John O'Shea, who is enjoying wonderful success with NZ breds...

Chris Waller had only one winner yesterday, but he did achieve that 300 winner mark.

In Melbourne the aptly named Falls was successful when leading all the way for Damian Lane. It was a good win for trainer Michael Kent who landed a double for the meeting. He thinks that Falls, by Niagara, could be seen up to 2000 metres.

Another stylish winner there was Ranveer with the son of Winning Rupert too strong for his rivals on the rain affected track. Said winning jockey Ben Melham: "He will improve a great deal with that under his belt."

In NZ, the talented winter galloper Spring Tide returned to winning format Trentham carrying 60.5kgs to claim a fine win over 1000 metres. He hails from a top female family which goes back to that great Bart Cummings galloper, Shaftesbury Avenue.

At Te Rapa, the promising two-year-old Mustang Valley was heavily backed and gained a solid win for her fans over 1200 metres. She is out of the powerful Baker-Forsman yard and is part owned by breeders Windsor Park Stud who have her sire, Vanbrugh at stud. "She can go to the paddock now, and then we will start thinking about better three-year-old races," said Andrew Forsman. The win was the first for Vanbrugh , a mutiple stakes winner who stands at $5000 plus GST.

Also at Te Rapa Nick Bishara, still a co-owner in Verry Elleegant, gained a double, with Rubyshowoff and Cherry Lane. That took his tally of winners for the season to 13, his best since commencing training some 20 years ago.