Winners Flow for Zabeel

Zabeel’s grand campaigner Precedence (NZ) (Zabeel) put in a great show on Saturday to win his second Group 2 A$273,00 Drake International Moonee Valley Cup (2500m) and provide a notable Australian double for his champion sire.

Precedence (NZ) wins the Group 2 Drake International Moonee Valley Cup on Saturday.

Cambridge Stud’s Zabeel sired his 1000th winner earlier this year and is the sire of almost 150 individual stakes winners, including 43 Group 1 winners, with Precedence’s weekend win the 353th individual stakes win for the sire.

Trained by Hall of Fame trainer Bart Cummings along with his grandson James, Precedence regained the title he won in 2010 and lifted his chance of a fourth attempt at the Group 1 Melbourne Cup.

The nine-time winner ran second in the Benalla Cup at his last outing earlier in October, and was a Group 3 winner in May during his winter campaign in Queensland.

Saturday saw the eight-year-old gelding settled mid-field for leading jockey Craig Williams and appeared to be travelling the best entering the short Moonee Valley straight. Producing a strong turn of foot, he ran away from the field to open up a race-winning margin in the straight of 1.5 lengths from the fast-finishing Shoreham in second position.

Racing Victoria announced that Precedence received a 1kg penalty for the Melbourne Cup bringing his weight to 53kg and lifting him to 29 on the order of entry. With only 24 horses allowed to start in the Melbourne Cup Precedence is not yet guaranteed a start.

Saturday’s victory was his fifth at stakes level for his well-known owners Dato Tan Chin Nam, New Zealand’s Sir Patrick Hogan, The Dowager Duchess of Bedford, & Mr B A Schroder. Bred by Bloomsbury Stud & Sir Patrick & Lady Hogan, Precedence was purchased by DGR Thoroughbred Services for NZ$180,000 at the 2007 Karaka Premier Sale from Bloomsbury Stud.

Within in a matter of minutes of Precedence’s victory, Zabeel notched a notable double with another son, Zephyron (NZ), landing victory at Rosehill in the $85,000 Harvey Norman Handicap for trainers Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes.

It was the second win from only eight starts for the lightly tried five-year-old who was a star attraction as a yearling when purchased by James Bester Bloodstock for a sale-topping NZ$2 million at the 2010 Karaka Premier Sale from Cambridge Stud.

Zephyron was able to lead all the way over 1500m journey as he staved off all challengers to win by a neck. It was the gelding’s second start back from a spell, and his second start since moving up to the Hawkes’ Sydney Stables.

His dam, Diamond Like (Danehill), was Listed winner and Group 1 placegetter and descends from the famous Eight Carat family, with her dam the Group 1 winner Tristalove, the dam of Group 1 winner Viking Ruler along with Group 2 winners Lovetrista and Kempinsky.

Zabeel is represented by three remaining entries in the forthcoming NZB Ready to Run Sale (19 & 20 November) at Karaka. For catalogues and Breeze Up DVDs contact reception@nzb.co.nz.