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Dual Group 3 winner set to join rookie trainer’s Warwick Farm stable

Annabel Neasham - who spent four lucrative years with Ciaron Maher and David Eustace - went out on her own in August and she has made a great start to her solo career, saddling four winners, including Ghostwriter (I Am Invincible) who handed the young trainer her first metro winner when he won at Doomben last Saturday and she made her presence felt at the Tattersalls Autumn Horses In Training Sale on Tuesday when teaming up with Blandford Bloodstock’s Stuart Boman to buy dual Group 3 winner Zaaki (Leroidesanimaux) for 150,000gns. 

Neasham told Racing & Sports Bloodstock that she thought the five-year-old gelding had the perfect profile for Australia. 

“He has been racing at a high level in England and looks like he has the perfect profile for Australia,” said Neasham. “He looks to have the right sort of profile to be competitive in Group races over 1600 metres to 2000 metres and he likes fast ground. 

“He is lightly raced for a five-year-old and is very sound. If he can adapt to Australia I think he can be competitive in races like the Doncaster and Doomben Cup.”

The gelding has won four races headed by victories in the Diomed Stakes (Gr 3, 1m½f) and Strensall Stakes (Gr 3, 1m½f) and also finished second in the Summer Mile Stakes (Gr 2, 1m), which seem him reach a rating of 113. 

Catalogued as Lot 706, the gelding is one of five winners out of winning Sadler’s Wells (Northern Dancer) mare Kesara, making him a half-brother to Listed-placed Kirks Ryker (Selkirk). 

Kesara herself is half-sister to dual Listed winner Persona Grate (Sir Percy), while further back this is the same family as dual Italian Group 1 winner Altieri (Selkirk).