3:20 – Nottingham – FIND NOTTINGHAM RACECOURSE ON FACEBOOK HANDICAP(CLASS 5) (4yo+ 0-75) 2m9y Good to Soft, Soft in places
Zarosa made a very pleasing seasonal reappearance at Newcastle in April when she won over 1 mile 1 ½ furlongs at in Good ground. The 4 year old bay filly won by 1¼ lengths in Good ground. The race was not particularly strong but the ground was probably as firm as she would have liked it and conditions today will be far more to her liking.
Zarosa has not been over raced for a 4 year old and has only made 10 career starts. Her breeding dictated that she was always destined to run over middle and staying distances and consequently she only made two starts as a 2 year old at the end of the season over 1 mile and 1 mile 1½ furlongs. Both runs were clearly for ‘educational’ purposes as she finished well down the field on both occasions.
Her form last season picked up markedly when she was running over longer distances. Although she only won for the first time on her last start of the season she has shown improving form throughout the campaign with three placed runs and her handicap mark increasing from 46 to 49. Her win at Nottingham on her last start of the season came over 2 miles in Soft ground. She was in touch throughout the race and started to make headway 3 furlongs out. She took the lead 2 furlongs from home and was ridden clear 1 furlong from the finish and kept on comfortably to win by 5 lengths.
She runs over 2 miles again at Nottingham and the going is Good to Soft, Soft in places. She finished well enough to win at Newcastle over a distance 4 furlongs shorter than her trip today but she is definitely unexposed over this trip and relished the soft going on her last run at Nottingham so can be expected to go well again today. She has run at Nottingham twice and as well as winning she finished 3rd over today’s trip on her find run at the course.
Apprentice jockey Noel Garbutt rides her again today. Noel has ridden Zarosa on her last two starts – her two wins – and takes off a very handy 7lbs again this afternoon. Noel is fairly experienced with 269 runs on the flat and clearly gets on well with Zarosa. Interestingly in 15 runs over staying distances he has won 4 times for a 27% winning strike rate over longer trips. He has only ridden 4 times for John Berry who trains Zarosa, resulting in 2 wins.
John Berry has only has 7 runners on the flat turf so far this season but with only two runners in the last 14 days Ethics Girl finished 2nd at Newmarket over the weekend. Zarosa clearly goes well for her jockey and over course and distance. She has her best for in ground with some dig in it so the conditions will suit her fine today and it will be no surprise to see her backing up her win at Newcastle to complete her hat-trick of wins this afternoon.