Trainer Kris Lees sent the Zaniah to Queensland to tackle the Listed Ascot Handicap at Eagle Farm and the five-year-old Zoustar mare came away with the spoils in spite of being unwanted in the betting at $21.
Jockey Andrew Mallyon took Zaniah back to last early but was immediately on the back of the well fancied Vega One ($3.80 at Sportsbet) who Mallyon tracked into the race, virtually following in the exact footsteps of the Gollan trained runner.
Halfway up the home straight though, with Vega One switched wide out on the track, Mallyon was forced to switch Zaniah even wider when it became apparent that she was going better than her more fancied rival.
Once in clear air, Zaniah wasted no time in lengthened her stride and she came with a real rattle to pick up the leaders and hit the line hard enough to hold out Tycoon Ace ($31) and Master Jamie ($3.40) who were both also running on well late.
“Lovely filly. I hadn’t sat on her until today and I loved her the moment I got on her back,” said Mallyon post-race. “She has got a nice way about her.
“Kris (Lees) said this race was not beyond her, but he sort of thought she would be better at 1100m.
“I knew he was quietly confident when he asked me a couple of weeks ago to make sure I got my weight down, so it was worth skipping all of the meals.
“I had a plan in my head to follow Vega One. She is just a mare that you have to keep in a rhythm and I thought there was no better horse to follow to cart me into the race than that one, but I didn’t expect him to stop in my lap like he did 100m after straightening.
“I was kind of hoping to cover her up until the death.
“She never lost focus. She came around him and I just held her together. She was going so well I just didn’t want to get a rush of blood. I just wanted to keep her in rhythm.
“I didn’t want to put her under any more pressure than she needed to be and she really go me a nice turn of foot over the last 100m.”
