 RODIN WINS THE "GROUP 1 "
The win by Rodin (NZ) (Masterpiece) in the Gr. 1 $100,000 Avery Ford Captain Cook Stakes (1600m) at Otaki on Saturday was a great advertisement for racehorse syndication.
The Karen Zimmerman-trained seven-year-old has a total of 25 owners.
These are made up of two syndicates. They are the 12-member Ywurree Syndicate and the 13-member Victory Park syndicate.
Among the Ywurree syndicate members are New Zealand Racing Services Bureau manager Alan Cole, Wairarapa Racing Club secretary Jenny Fenwick and New Zealand Trainers' Association executive officer Mary McCarty. The Victory Park syndicate comprises mostly members of Karen Zimmerman's family including her mother, Judy Gowan.
The owners exercised their right of purchase to buy Rodin about 18 months ago for $40,000 from his Hastings breeder, Richard Wood.
Zimmerman said the fact there was such a large group of enthusiastic owners added greatly to the thrill of Rodin's win.
"It was a great feeling to be in the birdcage after the race amongst such a big bunch of owners who all had smiles a mile wide. This is the sort of thing that makes all the early mornings worthwhile," Zimmerman said.
Zimmerman tasted her second success in the Captain Cook Stakes inside four years with her previous winner being Cinder Bella (NZ) (Victory Dance).
Despite Rodin's 16-to-one odds and a last-start failure in the Matamata Cup on October 2, the Zimmerman stable was confident of a bold run from Rodin in Saturday's feature.
"The 1600m is his pet distance and he had worked up well last week going into the race," Zimmerman said.
"The weight-for-age scale was a bit of a concern as he had not previously had much joy under those conditions although he was very unlucky in the same race last year," she said.
Zimmerman said Rodin was an easy horse to train.
"Basil (Rodin) is a lovely quiet horse around the stable and all the staff love him to bits," she said.
"However, once he gets to the races he switches into race mode and is a real handful. He just wants to get out there and do the job at hand," she said.
Zimmerman said the win was made even more special with Darryl Bradley riding the horse in the win.
"Darryl is far more than just another top jockey to us. Both Darryl and his fiancee Rebbeca are close friends. Darryl rode 25 of the stable's 30 winners last season and to get a Group 1 victory aboard this horse is something we will all cherish for many years to come," she said.
Rodin's sire, Masterpiece, stands at Ashford Park Stud in Otaki on the same property as Zimmerman's racing stable.
"We have several horses by Masterpiece and they have all shown us that they have a stack of ability. They just need a little time to mature but when they do they are real professional gallopers," Zimmerman said.
Second home in the race - beaten by half-head - was the three-year-old Keeninsky (NZ) (Stravinsky) who was game in defeat and had to be used up early to get across from a wide barrier draw.
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