By Tom Frary
Without a win since last year's Vincent O'Brien National Stakes, Zavateri (Without Parole) returned to winning ways with a vengeance on Saturday as he dominated Goodwood's G2 Celebration Mile.
Eye-catching when fifth in the Sussex here off a break, Mick and Janice Mariscotti's flagbearer was in that position again in the City of York earlier this month but this represented a more significant class drop than the status suggests and he was in no mood to miss out again.
Always travelling powerfully for Charles Bishop as Qirat (Showcasing) set the tempo, the well-backed 11-10 favourite picked up last year's Sussex hero with ease approaching the furlong pole and drew away to score with real authority by 3 1/2 lengths. There was another 2 1/4 lengths back to Fast Tracker (Churchill) in third.
“He showed the turn of foot which we know he had–it's taken him a bit of time to find it this year but I said beforehand that if he goes on the ground, he wins,” Eve Johnson Houghton said of the winner, who had also won the Vintage Stakes here and the July Stakes at two. “He travels with his own teddy bear, because that's what he loves and it's his comfort blanket, but he is a machine when it comes to it. The QEII is where we're going. End of conversation!”
Zavateri dishes out a thrashing in the G2 Celebration Mile.@VirginBet | @johnsonhoughton | @bishopcharlie12 pic.twitter.com/mbWw2rZQwg
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) August 29, 2026
Pedigree Notes
Zavateri is the first foal out of the unraced Zeroua (Siyouni), a half-sister to the dual Group 3 winner Zeyrek but more importantly a granddaughter of the mighty Zarkava (Zamindar) whose victories at the highest level included a Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, Poule d'Essai des Pouliches and Prix de Diane. She is now also the producer of Dubawi's up-and-coming sire son Zarak and the second dam of Siyouni's fellow Poule d'Essai des Pouliches winner Zarigana. Zeroua's two-year-old filly Zaire (Ghaiyyath) was a 400,000gns purchase by David Redvers Bloodstock at Tattersalls October Book 1, while she also has a yearling colt by Baaeed and a foal full-brother to Zavateri to come.
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
