Racing: 'Mongrel' yields big payday

Damien Oliver went against the grain in shooting Zavite clear well before the home turn. Photo / Natalie Slade

Anthony Cummings' faith in "the mongrel" paid its biggest dividend in yesterday's $1 million Auckland Cup.

The son of legendary Australian staying trainer Bart Cummings landed his second career 3200m race when Sydney-trained Zavite won the famous Ellerslie event.

Cummings had been warned not to buy the New Zealand-bred Zavite as a yearling at the Sydney yearling sales.

Even Gerald Fell, who sold Zavite to Cummings for $80,000 on behalf of the Manawatu's Fairdale Stud, admitted it was probably not a horse he'd have risked his money on.

"The horse nearly drove my son Duncan crazy on the trip to the sales in Sydney," said Fell, one of the first to congratulate Cummings in the Ellerslie birdcage. But Cummings showed the eye of the family horsemanship by sticking to his plans to buy Zavite.

"He was light framed, small and temperamental, but it shows what a sympathetic trainer who is prepared to give a horse time to develop can achieve," said Fell.

Zavite had won $1,308,934 before yesterday and added $600,000 in 3.18.96, the fastest Auckland Cup since Senator ran 3.19.40 in 1996.

Cummings admitted he'd taken a gamble in the buy, something his father has often done on his way to winning 12 Melbourne Cups. "There was no rap on him, but you decide what you like and I liked him."

The little Zabeel stayer, now 7, has been a great provider of thrills in 50 race starts.

Class Australian jockey Damien Oliver produced an against-the-grain ride, shooting Zavite clear well before the home turn, a daring move with a little horse carrying 57.5kg. "I could see the others weren't going as well as we were so I went for it," he said.

Oliver knows about winning big 3200m races - he won Melbourne Cups on Doriemus and Media Puzzle and a Wellington Cup on Ed.

"What a ride by Damien," said Cummings.

The trainer admitted he didn't give Oliver instructions.

"I told the owners that if I had to tell a jockey like Damien how to ride the horse, I'd brought the wrong jockey across."