G2 July Stakes winner Zavateri (8/1) remained unbeaten after denying Morris Dancer in a cracking finish to the G2 Coral Vintage Stakes.
Stepping up to seven furlongs for the first time, Zavateri saw out his race strongly having had a smooth passage in the straight, digging deep to fend off the fast-finishing Morris Dancer (22/1) by a short-head. G2 Coventry Stakes runner-up Do Or Do Not (7/1) was almost two lengths further back in third.
The Eve Johnson Houghton-trained Zavateri is now unbeaten in three starts and, having successfully conceded a G2 penalty all round, will now have G1 targets on his agenda.
Johnson Houghton said: “Zavateri is just so tough. He had to win his race twice, as he came to win it and then William [Buick] came at him [on Morris Dancer] and he had to go again. He just amazes me, what a dude he is, what a lovely, lovely horse.
“He gets a bit toey when he gets to the races but only because he wants to get on with it. Apart from that, he is just so straightforward, whether it’s at home or in a race. The staff do an amazing job, but he is not a hard ride. Everyone loves him and he is easy to do.
“It was very punchy to come for this race under a penalty but where else do you go? He's going to have to take a penalty somewhere because the Group One races aren't until September / October. It was either here or wait until Doncaster and I thought go here and then we can have a nice break until the Dewhurst. Dad trained [2002 Dewhurst winner] Tout Seul when I was around, and he was brilliant, but this one would be better, I think. There’s nowhere to go now before the Dewhurst, so we’ll have to wait for that.”
Charlie Bishop said: “When you're riding in these races, you are riding against the best jockeys, but you can't let that affect the way you ride. Eve was thinking the same as me, we ride him quietly and with no pressure. She is a dream to ride for on these days; when things are going well, you have confidence in each other and that really helps.
“Zavateri came through and beat the horses around him, and then William's come over the top, but this horse's tenacity and attitude to win is unbelievable. He is really tough, has a great will to win and obviously he is very good.
“It was a massive performance with a penalty. I don't know how much more racing he will have this year, but the Dewhurst will be where we work back from. After that then I think we can talk about the Guineas. He has seen the seven furlongs out extremely well and was strong at the line.
“Anyone who is riding would be lying if they said they don't want to be riding at the top level; for me, it is very important to have these horses to ride. Eve and I get on extremely well and I'd like to think that we are pretty good at our jobs together. We've got lucky owners, Mick and Janice, they're not just lucky, they're brilliant and deserve every success they get.”
John Gosden said of Morris Dancer: “We are thrilled with him – he has run a great race. He won at Haydock and then just had a little niggle and cough. So we backed off and he has come here off the minimum work and run a great race. That’s the July Stakes form with the winner by an old friend of ours Without Parole. Morris Dancer is by Palace Pier so it is nice to see your old pals in group two races like this. William [Buick] said don’t be frightened to step up to a mile with him and we will do that somewhere.”
Buick added: “'There wasn't much between him and the winner in the end. He ran super. It seemed like the winner found a bit more when I got to him, but Morris Dancer has stepped up on his previous run, so we are very happy.''
Do Or Do Not’s trainer Ed Walker said: “‘Do Or Do Not doesn’t! I am probably more frustrated than I have been the other times when he was placed because, watching it, I actually thought he was going to come and win his race and he still didn’t quite. He is a really solid horse and we are throwing the kitchen sink at him. He keeps answering. We might just try to find a slightly lower race – not a maiden because there isn’t any point – to give him some confidence.’’
