Gayna Williams wouldn’t have cared if half of Bathurst had witnessed her unbridled display of acrobatics as Zoo Station scored an emphatic win in Saturday’s TAB Highway at Rosehill Gardens. With husband Frank doing the honours in Sydney, Gayna elected to watch her favourite mare in action from her Bathurst living room. As jockey Anthony Cavallo deftly extricated Zoo Station from a pocket at the top of the straight, the talented trainer offered encouragement with a few giant leaps, a series of well timed battle cries and the obligatory flood of tears.
“It was a combination of factors that all came together on the day,” said the talented trainer. “She’s such a beautiful mare to have around. I’ve never seen her pin the ears back and everything she does is designed to help you. We’ve had a few niggling issues along the way, but I knew she was spot on going into Saturday’s race. Our only concern was her reluctance to muster early speed. She invariably settles back in the field as she did on Saturday and I was a little concerned in the middle stages.
“Anthony Cavallo took the luck out of the equation when he very deftly nudged James McDonald out of the way on favourite Steplee at the top of the straight. Once our girl saw daylight, she let down with the turn of foot which is becoming her trademark. The 1200m was technically a touch short, but her freshness and the rain affected track helped her to get away with it.”
Zoo Station let down brilliantly when clear of a pocket to win the TAB Highway - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Zoo Station was a four year old when she made her debut in late 2020. She was originally trained by Gerald Ryan at Rosehill who put her away after one unplaced barrier trial in Feb 2019. Eight months later she was unplaced in a second trial before again being turned out. When it was time for a serious preparation Sydney based owners Steve and Kim Dyer made the decision to place her with Gayna Williams, who was in the middle of a relocation from Mudgee back to her native Bathurst.
Hard working western districts jockey Kath Bell-Pitomac rode Zoo Station at her first four starts for placings at Dubbo and Bathurst followed by consecutive wins at Wellington and Dubbo. The paddock then beckoned. In the middle of last year Gayna gave the then four year old mare two soft barrier trials before embarking on a TAB Highway mission.
Her first up win over 1400m on June 26th was even more impressive than Saturday’s performance. With expatriate Victorian Regan Bayliss on board, Zoo Station raced three wide with no cover to the turn before comfortably accounting for Chombeur and Furphy. She finished luckless sixths at each of her next two Highway outings, not far away on either occasion. She missed a place again over 1800m on August 7th, but this time pulled up coughing her head off. “We feared the worst and immediately launched a thorough veterinary examination,” said Gayna. “Thankfully the vets could find nothing amiss, and concluded she’d swallowed part of a clod during the running of the race. We put her straight out nevertheless.”
Owners Steve and Kim Dyer proudly display the winner's sash after Zoo Station's emphatic win on Saturday - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Zoo Station wasn’t sighted again until Dec 20th when she scored a soft win in a five horse trial at Bathurst ridden for the first time by thoroughly experienced veteran Anthony Cavallo. “Choco” as he’s universally known in the racing industry, regularly rides in races for the Williams stable but only recently came to a firm arrangement to ride trackwork every Tuesday morning. Eighteen days on from the trial, owners Steve and Kim Dyer were more than happy to accept Gayna’s recommendation to retain Cavallo on Saturday.
Perhaps somebody told the Dyers that Rosehill was a second home to one of Australia’s most dedicated veterans of the saddle. He spent his entire apprenticeship with Ray Guy at Rosehill and was never short of rides from many other local trainers. He won his first race on Vain Glorious from the Guy stable in 1986. He has no accurate account of his career tally of winners, but says it’s well in excess of 1000. He’s never looked more tradesmanlike than he did on Zoo Station in Saturday’s TAB Highway.
The first of Anthony Cavallo's three TAB Highway wins - About Time at Rosehill in 2019 - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Breeding buffs will be aware that Zoo Station’s sire Animal Kingdom was sold off to the Japan Bloodhorse Breeders Association in 2019 following the termination of a dual hemisphere arrangement between Arrowfield Stud and Darley’s Kentucky operation Jonabell Farm. Animal Kingdom had been an outstanding racehorse with wins in a Kentucky Derby and a Dubai World Cup, complemented by placings in a Preakness and a Breeder’s Cup Mile. He’s best known in Australia as the sire of the all the way 2019 Australian Derby winner Angel Of Truth.
In the meantime Gayna Williams looks forward to the racetrack debut of two year old filly In The Air Tonight who will also race in the Zoo Station colours. The filly is by Skyclad, a Snitzel colt the Dyers raced with Gerald Ryan a few years ago. From just five starts in the 2014/2015 season, Skyclad won a two year old race at Rosehill and was placed at Randwick. His daughter In The Air Tonight had a lot in reserve when third in an 800m barrier trial in October. She’s only recently back in work and is doing everything right.
Gayna’s total focus in the weeks ahead will be the $150,000 Newhaven Park Country Championship Qualifier at Mudgee on Sunday Feb 27th. She’s aiming Zoo Station, Tags and Silverdeel at the important 1400m event. “We’ve been around the money several times in this qualifier,” said Gayna. “Galaxy Warrior ran second in 2016, Noel’s Gift ran second in consecutive years, while Healing Hands won it in 2020 and ran third last year.”
Gayna will now aim Zoo Station for the Country Championship Qualifier at Mudgee on February 27 - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Should one or all three make the $500,000 final on April 2nd, Gayna will be sorely tempted to undertake one of her infrequent trips across the mountain. Should she win the big one, her reaction may not be quite as robust as it was when Zoo Station won on Saturday, but you never know. The usually reticent trainer Terry Robinson was moved to uncharacteristic emotion when Art Cadeau scraped home in the recent Kosciuszko. There’s nothing like a winner to remove the shackles of conservatism.
Gayna with Kath Bell - Pitomac who rode Zoo Station at her first four starts for wins at Dubbo and Wellington - courtesy Janian McMillan Racing Photography.
(Banner image - Anthony Cavallo canters back on Zoo Station after Saturday's TAB Highway win. For Cavallo it was a return to his home track - courtesy Bradley Photographers.)