CROFT'S MARE FANTASTIC INDEED
- John Curtis
- 11 minutes ago
- 3 min read
“I was out the back chatting with another chap when we saw her, and both of us immediately liked her,” the Hawkesbury trainer said this evening.
“When he didn’t want to buy her, I went back inside and put in one bid of $5000 and got her.”
Fortune might have been on Croft’s side then, but he has harnessed all his lengthy experience in the industry to develop the now four-year-old mare, who races as Zoutastic, into a winning proposition.
Resuming from a spell at home today, heavily-backed $2 favorite Zoutastic posted her fourth career success when she trounced her rivals in the Skin Fitness Hair and Beauty Provincial Benchmark 64 Handicap (1000m).
Making light of her outside barrier Zoutastic flew out of the stalls, quickly took up the running and scored by three and a half lengths from Pewter Pearl ($12) and Super Freds ($10).
Whilst Croft didn’t expect his mare to lead throughout, he wasn’t at all surprised by her brilliant performance.
“She won as her starting price suggested she would,” he said.
“Zoutastic has come back bigger and stronger, and she trailed really well at home a couple of weeks ago.
“I told her apprentice rider Mollie Fitzgerald (who won her sixth race for Croft) to be positive on her, but thought one or two others might lead.
“Once she showed that speed, the others were off the bit chasing her and the race was as good as over.”
Such was the dominance of Zoutastic’s first-up win that Croft is now thinking more seriously about the forthcoming Provincial-Midway Championships in autumn.
“I will probably look for a suitable midweek race in town next, and see how she goes,” he said.
“Whether she gets to the Provincial-Midway series I’m not sure, but you have to give those races a lot of thought.
“I know she outpaced them today over 1000m, but she can also come from behind and ran out a strong 1200m when she won at Wagga in January.”
That was a special result indeed on Australia Day as Zoutastic not only broke through in a Super Maiden, but also earned connections an additional $100,000 as part of the Inglis Xtra Bonus series.
Croft had also won races at Grafton’s July carnival and the Forbes Cup meeting in August with the mare – and this was her first success at home.
He also has Zoutastic’s younger half-brother, the so far unraced two-year-old Coal Smoke (by Portland Sky).
Meanwhile, Croft has another important objective with stablemate Thrill Hunter, who won the Kirkham Plate (1000m) on debut at Royal Randwick in October at $61.
“She has just come back to the stable, and did really well during her break,” he said.
“Our initial aim with Thrill Hunter is the $2m Inglis Millennium (1100m) at Randwick on February 7.
“But the overall goal is to get her to the Group 1 Golden Slipper Stakes at Rosehill Gardens on March 21.
“That would be my first ever runner in the world’s richest two-year-old race (worth $5m).”
. HOOFNOTE: Mollie Fitzgerald rode both Hawkesbury weekend winners.
The talented apprentice also was successful for Ed Cummings on Shadashi in the Class 1/Maiden Plate (2100m) on Newcastle’s Beaumont track yesterday.
The Shamus Award four-year-old and $1.90 favorite steamrolled her opposition, scoring by six and a half lengths to give Cummings his fifth winner of the season.
The Cummings and Croft successes boosted to 67 the number of winners prepared by the Hawkesbury training base so far this season.
