30 Nov 2023The highly regarded Zabmanzor produced an impressive display to open his black type account at Otaki.
Trainers Roger James and Robert Wellwood had every confidence the lightly tried son of Almanzor could make the leap from a previous maiden victory to success in the G3 Wellington Stakes and the three-year-old delivered in style.
“He’s a very, very good horse and we’ve really liked him from day one,” Wellwood said.
“He first went to the races having only had one trial, so he’s learned as he’s gone along.
“He’s still got to learn to get into a rhythm, but once he got going he put them away pretty quickly.”
Zabmanzor was a little tardy out of the gates and settled back in the field before improving wide across the top for rider Masa Hashizume.
The colt accelerated sharply to hit the front halfway down the straight and bolted home by four lengths.
Zabmanzor has been nominated for the G1 Cambridge Stud Levin Classic at Trentham in January, but his immediate future has yet to be confirmed.
“There are a lot of options ahead, but we will get him home and see how he does before we make a plan,” Wellwood said.
A son of the unraced Savabeel mare Zaborei, Zabmanzor is raced by Auckland-based breeders and long-time stable clients John and Di Struthers.