Asterix has finally secured his first Australian victory since transferring to the Chris Waller stable earlier this year, adding another milestone to the resume of the former New Zealand Group One winner.
The seven-year-old hinted he was nearing peak form with an encouraging fifth in the St Leger (2600m) at Randwick, and he capitalised on a favourable draw to grind out a determined win in the Listed The Beauford (2300m) at Newcastle.
Winning rider Jason Collett felt the gelding had been trending the right way.
“I thought his run was great the other day in the St Leger,” Collett said.
“It was just a slow-run race. He led the start before that and it didn’t work one bit, so last start we tried to make sure he did things right, which he did, and he found the line great.
“His trial was good leading into this and when I had the gate today, I was able to use it and put him in a close enough spot which gave us our chance.”
Asterix was a rising star early in his career, claiming the 2022 New Zealand Derby (2400m) at just his fourth outing before a long break stalled his progress. He resurfaced for Waller in February and has steadily built fitness and form through the year.
Despite being a lightly raced seven-year-old with just 23 starts, Collett believes the gelding still has more to offer.
“He’s won a Derby, a New Zealand Derby too. He’s got the credentials there and this will no doubt build confidence,” he said.
Asterix ($14) defeated stablemate God’s Window ($4.40 fav) by a length, with Future History ($6.50) filling third.
Waller representative Zane Jones said the stable had always maintained faith in the horse’s ability to adapt and perform at Australian level.
“He was a good horse in New Zealand before coming to Australia. We never lost faith in the horse, it was just a matter of turning up, getting things to go his way and today, it did,” Jones said.
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