Zaminast

She didn’t have her half-brother and stable companion Famous Name to contend with – he was withdrawn due to lameness – but Zaminast was still an impressive winner of the Listed Trigo Stakes over 10 furlongs at Leopardstown on Sunday. She was really well backed, she was sent off the 7/4 favourite in what was a decent listed race, and she picked up nicely in the straight to post an impressive win.

A little slowly away from stall one, Dermot Weld’s filly quickly made up the ground to adopt a handy position on the inside, creeping closer to be just in behind Amazing Beauty and Hurricane Havoc as they turned out of the back straight. It always looked as though Pat Smullen had plenty of horse under him, he was just boxed in around the home turn, and when Amazing Beauty picked up well off the front to kick into a two-length lead passing the two-furlong pole, it looked as though she would take some catching. When Smullen pulled Zaminast out into the centre and asked her to go about chasing down the leader, however, she picked Amazing Beauty up well and went on to draw three lengths clear.

This was an authoritative performance from the daughter of Zamindar on just her fourth start, only her second since May. Both the second and third, Defining Year and Handassa, are lightly enough raced progressive sorts, and Zaminast beat them comfortably. She probably improved for the step up to 10 furlongs, which wasn’t surprising given how well she finished to take second place behind the four-year-old Flowers of Spring in a Group 3 race over nine furlongs at Gowran Park on her previous run, her first run for four and a half months, and given her pedigree. The plan is to keep her in training next year, she is progressing nicely and she should be an exciting filly for next season. The way she galloped all the way to the line here suggests that a mile and a half should be within her range.

30th October 2011