Count goes from Zero to hero

[Wandering Eyes]

After being beaten by 37 lengths in Tuesday’s Brierly Steeplechase and having to rely on jockey Darryl Horner Jnr pleading with stewards to allow him to race, Count Zero (NZ) (Zed) amazingly won the 5500-metre Grand Annual Steeplechase on Thursday afternoon.

According to Horner Jnr, the run on Tuesday was not due to fatigue and he argued that Count Zero had travelled strongly late, which is why he allowed him to finish the race.

Fast forward two days and the hard-fought victory over Bell Ex One (Excelebration) gave trainer Symon Wilde his third win in the race and Horner Jnr his first, with the result also giving the Jericho Cup winner a second feature triumph at a huge price.

Darryl Horner Jnr celebrates his win. Photo: Bruno Cannatelli

Bought by Darren Weir and John Foote in 2016 for just $22,000, the son of Zed took five starts to break his maiden and arrived at Wilde’s yard two starts later, rated 59.

His first victory for the stable was in a 0-58 at Ararat, but he steadily began to improve over the next two years, picking off a few races before a landmark victory in the 2020 Jericho Cup under Luke ‘Stumpy’ Williams.

In hindsight, perhaps the fact that he won Australia’s longest flat race by five lengths, albeit as a $26 shot, was an indication that the Grand Annaul’s marathon journey would suit.

But at this point, Count Zero hadn’t so much as trialled over the jumps, apparently due to reluctance from a tiny portion of the ownership group.

He eventually got jumping in 2022 and won his first two hurdle starts before collecting another pair of wins last season, one of them over steeples.

However, a lacklustre start to his 2024 campaign, compounded by the disappointing Brierly effort, had him out of most people’s Grand Annual calculations coming into Thursday.

Behind the scenes, though, Horner Jnr had concocted a plan to try and put Count Zero in a more-competitive mindset.

“We had a bit to look though after the Brierly, he just didn’t jump well,” Wilde said post-race.

“It was due to him being too far back and Darryl was terrific. He said, ‘Why don’t we put him up the front like usual, I’ll kick him hard out the gates’.

“He jumped beautifully today, with a better look at them. (Darryl) thought he just wasn’t interested in the Brierly, being too far back.

“He’s a top-of-the-ground horse and we know he can stay, he’s won a Jericho and he just needed to get that jumping right and that happened today.”

Get the jumping right he did – the nonchalant efforts of Tuesday were replaced by much better jumps throughout the 33-obstacle course – and Count Zero looked like a huge chance a long way from home.

Andrew Bobbin’s Bell Ex One looked to be going slightly better as they jumped the last, but Count Zero kicked back strongly, as the pair engaged in a genuine two-horse war.

They hit the line almost in unison, but Wilde’s galloper would emerge the victor by half a head, securing another famous win in a remarkable career.

It brings Count Zero’s record to 10 wins from 59 starts and his prizemoney to a remarkable A$705,000.

Wilde ends his hometown carnival with four winners and seven placings, as well as Vanguard’s unlucky fourth in the Grand Annual behind his stablemate.

“It’s a thrill – our whole team gets such a buzz, you’ve no idea,” Wilde said.

“I love this race; the theatre of the Brierly, the Galleywood and then this today, it just makes these carnivals.

“Look how many people are here, it’s wonderful.”

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