The Amazonian claims SA Fillies Classic in emphatic fashion

[Wandering Eyes]

Star jockey Mark Zahra after winning the SA Fillies Classic on The Amazonian. Picture: Makoto Kaneko.

It is not often champion Victorian trainer Mick Price is proven wrong – but on this occasion he was happy to be shown up by brilliant jockey Mark Zahra.

Zahra knew exactly what he was doing when he got The Amazonian to a strong early position in the $152,250 SA Fillies Classic (2500m) because the filly was always in control of her run.

It worked a treat, the three-year-old going on to blow away the field and win by four lengths.

2022 SA Fillies Classic Replay

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She found the front from the outside approaching the 200m mark and it was all over from there.

“It was a very good ride, wasn’t it? He (Zahra) drew near the outside and my great idea was to be midfield three-deep with cover,” Price told Racing.com.

“And he said ‘no, I’ll be more forward than that’. He said ‘I think there are a few slow horses I don’t want to be tagging them, so I’ll ride her a bit more forward’, and he ended up one up, one back after the first half-mile.

“I thought ‘how does he do that?’

“And not moving on her. He was beautifully smooth on her. That’s run her No.3 this prep up to 2500m, so I think we’ve found a natural staying filly.”

Like the fast-developing filly he was riding, Zahra always kept his cool and backed his plan to advance early with The Amazonian.

“It just worked out nicely. I knew I had to go forward. Looking at the field there was probably three-quarters I didn’t think stayed and two more who couldn’t win,” he said.

“So it was a matter of just trying to get that spot up front somewhere, which I did.

“She relaxed really well and I was travelling nearly too good too far from home.

“I had to stick it up (eventual fifth-place finisher) Douceur’s bum there an extra 200m just to slow her down.

“When I came out I thought it was all over at the 400.”

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