Zoushine’s Group 3 success
A plan hatched late last year came to fruition when Zoushine took out the Group 3 $150,000 Kevin Sharkie Bow Mistress (1200m) at Hobart on Friday, February 11.
Trained by Tony & Calvin McEvoy, and ridden superbly by Barend Vorster, Zoushine ($7.50) scored by a half-length from Award Winner ($9) with Bons Aboard ($6) a similar margin away third.
From gate 10 in a field of 12, Vorster had the four-year-old mare one-out, one-back on settling down and produced her in the home straight to win.
Trainer Tony McEvoy said a lot of the credit had to go to part-owner Jason Biasin.
“Jason picked out the race about five months ago,” McEvoy said.
“He said the Bow Mistress could be the perfect race, so we freshened her up with the race in mind.
“Zoushine did her early work in Angaston and ran second in a Morphettville trial late last month beating home Behemoth.
“We floated her to Burumbeet in Victoria and gave her a final gallop, then shipped her across to Tasmania.
“Jason is a lover of racing, a great supporter of the stable and he should take much of the credit for finding the race.”
McEvoy praised Barend Vorster for his ride.
“It was great jockeyship to get her into a perfect position on settling down.
“Knowing she was first up at 1200 metres, he also waited until the last minute before asking her to sprint for home.”
McEvoy said now Zoushine had picked up a Group 3 win, he would be careful placing her going forward.
“I think we might bring her home and give her a few weeks being led off the pony before finding suitable races during the Adelaide carnival.”
One group of part-owners who celebrated the win were those from the Sydney Swans AFL team.
Spokesman Tom Papley said it was easily the group’s biggest success.
“Unbelievable,” Papley said.
“A Group 3 is easily the biggest victory for the boys.
“I was at the one-day cricket watching Sri Lanka and Australia. I found a television showing the races and rode her home.”