by Two-year-old filly Zelia will make her highly anticipated racing debut in New Zealand this Saturday and her progress will be followed by more than a few curious eyes. When a young horse wins a test by a stunning 12.5 lengths, it’s bound to turn heads – and that’s certainly what this Australian-bred daughter of Fierce Impact has done.
Her debut will take place in an 800m sprint at Riccarton Park, where she will compete against five competitors. For Australian viewers, the race will air bright and early at 9:55am AEDT, making for an exciting brunch event where she is the $2.15 favorite at online betting sites.
Coach Paul Walsh admits Zelia’s dominant trial performance surprised him. Despite this emphatic portrayal, he explained that their earlier trial – less than two weeks earlier – had given no indication of what was to come. The first attempt, conducted on a synthetic track, was more about gaining experience and practical experience than about demonstrating speed.
“I always thought she had potential,” Walsh told Punters. “But on the training track she didn’t put in any more effort than necessary.”
At her first trial on September 3, Zelia’s main task was to practice barriers. According to Walsh, she broke off slowly, stayed on the inside rail and didn’t show much urgency. “She was carrying heavy ears that day – she was just there to learn the basics,” he explained.
The dramatic turnaround came during Zelia’s second trial on September 14, where she displayed a completely different attitude. “She walked toward the gate with her red ears and we removed them right before takeoff,” Walsh said. “After that, she just took off, and even I didn’t expect it.”
Walsh admits he was as shocked by the performance as anyone. “I had no idea she would do something like that – it came out of nowhere,” he said. “It was as much a surprise for me as it was for the audience.”
With her impressive process now in the rearview mirror, all attention turns to Zelia’s debut this Saturday. She will compete in a sprint against five other two-year-olds that will reveal whether her trial performance was a sign of things to come.
While Walsh remains cautiously optimistic, he admits that race day presents a whole new challenge. “We have done everything we can to prepare her, but it is the first time she has been under real racing pressure,” he said. “If she goes like she did in the trials, she will definitely be competitive.”
Bettors and racing fans will be keeping an eye on Zelia to see how she performs in her first official race. However, it remains to be seen whether she can reproduce the explosive form she showed at the trials.
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