Leebaz (NZ) Leads all the Way in Easter Cup

Completing a big double for super sire Zabeel, Leebaz (NZ) led all the way and scored a courageous win in the A$150,000 Group 3 Easter Cup (2000m) at Caulfield on Saturday.

Just 20 minutes after another son of Zabeel in Preferment (NZ) won the Group 1 BMW in Sydney, Leebaz made it a day to remember for the legendary Cambridge Stud stallion with a gutsy performance in Melbourne.

Carrying the topweight of 58.5 kilograms, Leebaz went straight to the lead and never looked back. He led by more than three lengths halfway through the contest and was relentless all the way to the finish in a bold front-running performance.

Guardini (Dalakhani) chased hard down the straight and made it a tight finish, but Leebaz bravely kept finding and held on by a short head.

“The horse has done a fantastic job,” said Wayne Hawkes, who trains Leebaz in partnership with his father John and brother Michael.

“When you go that hard in front, to fight on like that takes some doing. He was beaten a long way from home I thought, and for him to kick on like he did was a ridiculously good performance.”

Bought by Team Hawkes for $460,000 at Karaka, Leebaz has now won eight of his 26 starts and more than A$830,000 in stakes. This was his third stakes win, having earlier claimed the Group 3 Hawkesbury Gold Cup and the Group 2 A.D. Hollindale Stakes.