The Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr stable holds high hopes for Zambardo, acknowledging that the galloper must ascend to a new level.
With entries for both the Cox Plate and Caulfield Cup, Zambardo is scheduled to make his return in the So You Think Stakes (1500m) at Sandown on Saturday.
Zambardo is a lightly raced New Zealand-bred gelding with four wins from his 12 starts.
The five-year-old arrived from New Zealand as a maiden, breaking through at his second start for Price and Kent Jnr on the Pakenham synthetic track over 1600m before recording successive victories at Sale, Sandown, and Caulfield.
His last win was in a 2000m benchmark 78 race on the middle day of the Caulfield Cup Carnival.
In a leap of faith, Price and Kent Jnr entered Zambardo into the Group 1 Champions Stakes (2000m) at Flemington on the final day of Melbourne Cup week, where the gelding finished behind the champion mare Via Sistina.
The handicapper significantly raised Zambardo’s rating following that placing, which earned connections $540,000, from a 78-rater to 103.
This meant Zambardo was weighted out of easier contests and was forced to race at a higher grade, which he did during the autumn, starting in Sydney before concluding his campaign in Brisbane.
Price and Kent Jnr still intend to target ‘some nice races’ with the gelding this spring.
“We’re keen to be ambitious with him, until proven otherwise,” Kent Jnr stated.
“The Cox Plate will certainly be considered, but he has to prove he is at that level.
“His form went a bit sideways last preparation, for a variety of reasons. He was getting a long way back, he had bad barriers, that Q22 was a funny race, they went no gallop and it wasn’t a test of anyone’s ability.
“I think we judge the horse on his first couple of runs back here in Melbourne, but what I can say, he is flying, going particularly well.”
With the Cox Plate this year being run at Flemington as Moonee Valley undergoes a rebuild, Kent Jnr is looking forward to seeing Zambardo kick off his campaign at Sandown.
“I think that is one of the keys to him as he’s raced there before and I think he will enjoy being back Sandown,” Kent Jnr commented.
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