ZATIGEROO produced a career-best performance to deliver Wagga trainer Gary Colvin a hometown victory in the $20,000 Stan Sadleir Stakes on Thursday.
With only one win to his name in the past 18 months, Zatigeroo stormed back to his best to take out the feature sprint in devastating fashion at Murrumbidgee Turf Club.
A $16 chance with bookmakers, Zatigeroo’s hopes looked ruined when he was held up between horses halfway down the home straight.
But in-form jockey Richard Bensley got the six-year-old to the outside and he charged to the line late to grab top weight Magnaro ($17.00) in the shadows of the post.
Zatigeroo ran last at Canberra on Sunday but Colvin believed the quick back-up proved decisive.
“When you go back through his runs, he backs up pretty well,” Colvin said.
Colvin explained how it took the horse a long time to recovery from an illness last year.
“We took him to Newcastle and he only got beaten a head in the Provincial Plate,” Colvin explained.
“Then he got crook and it took him a while to come good.
“He’s a horse that you have to keep happy. You could tell today the way he was getting around the yard that he wanted to be there.”
