Starting a stakes-quality horse off in provincial or midweek races is often a sign of clever programming, helping build confidence while minimising cost for owners.
In the case of Starlight Stakes favourite Zealously, however, his early assignments reflected Peter Snowden’s initial opinion of the sprinter—an opinion that shifted as the horse continued to raise the bar.
“To be honest, I placed him where I thought he was at, but he just keeps improving and improving,” Snowden said.
“Last preparation he took a big leap. He ran fourth to Private Harry in the Sunlight and he ran very well.
“He came back and won again after that and I thought, you’re a stakes horse now.”
Zealously opened this campaign by smashing the 1000m track record at Warwick Farm before running a determined second to Rey Magnerio in the Group 2 Caulfield Sprint (1000m) on October 18.
He was set to run in The Warra (1000m) last weekend but was withdrawn mid-meeting due to persistent rain and a subsequent downgrade of the track.
Snowden said the gelding handled the missed run with ease and remains in top shape ahead of Saturday’s Starlight Stakes (1100m) at Rosehill.
“He has been five weeks between runs, and he needs to get back to the races,” he said.
“Normally, I would have definitely barrier trialled him in between but now that this has happened, it limits what you can do.
“But I’m still happy with him. His work was great (Tuesday) morning, and he looks fantastic. I’m not worried about his condition or on him getting away from me at all.”
If Zealously performs as expected, Snowden plans to head next to the Listed Razor Sharp Handicap (1200m), with the Magic Millions Sprint (1200m) looming as a longer-range option.
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