After some indifferent performances when stepped up in distance, the Anthony and Sam Freedman stable has come to the realisation that Zouzarella is a sprinter.
With that in mind the Freedman’s have freshened Zouzarella for a tilt at the Group 1 William Reid Stakes (1200m) at The Valley on Friday night.
A two-time winner over the 1200m course at The Valley, Zouzarella has campaigned exclusively in Sydney this time in.
Zouzarella finished fourth first-up in the Group 2 Light Fingers Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on February 12 then finished 11th in the Group 1 Surround Stakes (1400m) at Randwick two weeks later.
Sam Freedman said Friday night’s race had been considered for some time for Zouzarella.
“It was in the back of our mind as potentially she is better over the shorter courses and her record says that,” Freedman told RSN.
“She’s won twice at The Valley over a sprint trip. We stretched her out to the Thousand Guineas and she didn’t have much luck, but I’m not sure she ran that mile out anyway.
“Even her run at 1400 metres at Sandown, she probably peaked a little bit late in the lead-up to the Thousand Guineas and then the other day she was way out of her ground on a bottomless track.”
With the unbeaten Marabi dominating betting on Friday night’s race, Freedman said the opposition was realistically racing for second money.
But Freedman is hoping the addition of blinkers will enable Zouzarella to race closer.
“We’ve ridden her quietly in a lot of her races to get her to switch off, and she relaxes very well and now it might be the time with the blinkers to ride her a little more positive,” Freedman said.
“You don’t want to be spotting Marabi five or six lengths on the turn.
“Realistically we’re all racing for second, you’d imagine, but she can run a big race as she loves The Valley, she’s done her best racing there and her work in the blinkers has been very sharp.”