Cox Plate eyes turn to Zaaki after Doomben Cup triumph

The Group 1 Cox Plate, Australia’s leading weight-for-age race, will not be run until Oct. 23, but the race has an early future-book favorite in Zaaki, the winner of Saturday’s Group 1 Doomben Cup.

Zaaki ($3.90 in American pools) won the $543,760 Doomben Cup by seven lengths under jockey James McDonald. Zaaki stalked the pace to the final three furlongs before taking a commanding lead.

Trained by Annabel Neasham, Zaaki was imported to Australia from Great Britain last winter and has won 2 of 4 starts in Australia, including the Group 2 Hollindale Stakes at 1 1/8 miles at Gold Coast Racecourse on May 8 in his third start in the country.

The Doomben Cup was run at 1 1/4 miles, the same distance as the $3.86 million Cox Plate.

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Zaaki, a 6-year-old gelding by Leroidesanimaux, was a two-time stakes winner in Britain in 2019, but was winless in four starts – all in stakes – in 2020 when trained by Michael Stoute. Zaaki was purchased for approximately $195,000 last fall at a horses-in-training sale.

MONDAY PREVIEW

Electric Storm was a 50-1 outsider when he rallied from eighth for a surprise win in his second career start in a seven-furlong maiden race at Albury Racecourse in New South Wales on May 14.

The course experience could be beneficial when Electric Storm races against winners for the first time at Albury in a handicap at 7 1/2 furlongs on Monday, part of an open field of 13.

There will be a jockey change. Electric Storm will be ridden by Simon Miller, who was aboard the 3-year-old gelding for a 10th-place finish in a maiden race in his debut at Sapphire Coast Racecourse on May 2.

Nick Heywood, who rode Electric Storm on May 14, will ride Sizzling Cat in the Albury handicap. A winner of 2 of 10 starts, Sizzling Cat was ninth of 13 in a more lucrative handicap at Wagga Wagga Racecourse on May 7 and takes a class drop against this field.

Electric Storm is one of three runners in the field with a win in their most recent start. Kentucky Dream was the 16-1 winner of a maiden race at Werribee Racecourse on April 10, while Sun Master won a five-runner handicap for amateur riders at tiny Boorowa Racecourse on May 1.

The seven-race Albury program begins at 11:05 p.m. Eastern, or 8:05 p.m. Pacific, on Sunday. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.