Zucchiatti’s Hard Work Pays Off
Sonia Zucchiatti and daughter Deni Roberts teamed up again at Bunbury and continued their winning form with a training double for Zucchiatti and a driving treble for Roberts at Bunbury on Saturday night.
Keegan Banner NZ started first up for Zucchiatti since purchasing the three-year-old from New Zealand recently, and the $1.24 short-priced favourite didn’t disappoint, leading all the way in the first to win by 5m in 2:01:5, claiming his maiden win and giving the duo their first win of their double on the night.
Roberts went straight into a race-to-race driving double when she piloted Mad Magic for the win for trainer Brad Lynn. At long odds, the four-year-old mare recorded her second career win at just start eight, running down the leader with the use of the sprint lane at Donaldson Park, to win by 1.3m in 1:58:5 over the 1609m sprint trip.
The second leg of Zucchiattis training double came up on the other end of the program, with Sweetest Thing also breaking her maiden status for the mother/daughter team. Starting from barrier two in the small five horse field, Roberts restrained two-year-old filly off the arm to settle behind the leader in the early stages of the race, with the field in single file for the most part, she made full use of the sprint lane, taking out the last on the card by 1.9m in 2:03:0 over the 2100m.
“Mum (Sonia Zucchiatti) is so hard working and puts so much into her horses, so I’m very grateful to be apart of her success.” Roberts said.
Leading reinsman Chris Voak walked away with a double in the sulky, with another win behind the in-form Hotfoot It NZ for trainer Jason Woodworth. The win was something special for Woodworth, with the small hobby trainer getting the quinella with his runners, with Tiza New Day going down narrowly to his stablemate with an impressive $21 a place on TabTouch fixed odds, the first training quinella for the 35-year-old.
Starting off the 50m handicap, Hotfoot It NZ began brilliantly and found himself three back on the pegs throughout, making his run with 600m to go, to win narrowly over his stablemate Tiza New Day in 2:04:6 in the 2503m stand.
Tiza New Day was gallant in defeat, with the five-year-old hitting the front with 400m to go after blowing the start early, he did plenty of work to get to the front, just missing out on first prize by a head on the line.
Voak was on board Justgivemerubies in the seventh for his father-in-law Frank Vanmaris, with the four-year-old bringing up her fourth win at her 30th career start. Owned by his fiancé Asha, the mare started from barrier four, and after finding herself in the one-one position, she went on the win by a half-head in 1:59:8 over the 2100m journey.
“I thought both horses had a great each way chances, however I felt perhaps given the barrier draws, other rivals had the advantage on them, but both horses performed excellent to get well deserved wins.” Said Voak.
Icanbolt claimed his first win in WA after relocating from the east in May this year. In the stables of Bob Mellsop, the three-year-old saluted at his seventh start for the stable, giving reinsman Kyle Harper the winning steer in race three. Leading all the way from barrier one, he managed to stave off the fast-finishing Bayardo NZ, to win by a head on the post in 1:59:9.
Cowboys N Bandits NZ appears to be unstoppable, with the three-year-old notching up his win in a row, fourth for the stable since being imported earlier in the year. Trained by Michael Brennan and driven by Michael Grantham, the gelding initially settled toward the rear but was put into the race with just over a lap and a quarter to go, with the youngster good enough to sit in the breeze, going on to win by 5.6m in 1:59:5.
Machnificent continued his winning ways, recording his third continuous win at Bunbury in a mile rate of 1:58:6 for trainer Kat Warwick and driver Shannon Suvaljko. The $1.04 favourite never looked in danger, leading from start to stop in race 6, spacing the field by 29.5m in a last half of 55.6 seconds.
Ashleigh Paikos