Eve Johnson Houghton talked the talk pre-race of the Sept. 14 National Stakes (G1), and Zavateri walked the walk by battling like a gladiator under Charlie Bishop to deliver his trainer the second group 1 winner of her career and down the best juvenile Aidan O'Brien could throw at her in Gstaad.
Johnson Houghton hailed her unbeaten 2-year-old as probably the best horse she has trained following back-to-back group 2 wins, but it still took mountains of bravery to test his mettle in a group 1 against the Ballydoyle battalion on home turf.
The battalion numbered half of the six runners, spearheaded by Coventry winner and 10-11 favorite Gstaad, who looked as though this step up to seven furlongs was tailor-made for him following his running-on short-neck defeat at Deauville in the Prix Morny (G1).
From the moment the stalls opened, Bishop had the favourite's rider, Christophe Soumillon, in his sights. Zavateri was settled at the back of the pack on the withers of Gstaad and when Soumillon pressed go on his mount heading inside the two-furlong marker, so too did Bishop.
The pair quickly pulled clear of the rest, with neither willing to give best. It was nip and tuck all the way before Zavateri got his head down at the right time to give Johnson Houghton a famous victory.
There was some interference right on the line, leading to a lengthy stewards' inquiry, but connections of the favorite had little realistic hope of having the result overturned. This was Johnson Houghton's day as Zavateri showed exactly why she has unending faith in him.
"What a horse," Johnson Houghton beamed. "Nobody's as thrilled as I am. I don't think that ground suits him, but he's so straightforward, he's just a dude of a horse.
"He has come from a long way back on sticky old ground, and they haven't been finishing from a long way back today; that was pretty impressive.
"Charlie went out with no plan, no pressure, just to ride the race that comes to you. He gave him a beautiful ride. It's hard to ride against that company of horse."
And what of that pre-race statement that Zavateri is "probably" the best she has ever trained? Was she now willing to make that a more definitive label?
"Probably. I mean, I've had a group 1 winner before, but probably yeah. This is a huge weekend, it was a group 1, and we were coming into Aidan's backyard, but it was the right spot for him."
Zavateri may take top billing over Accidental Agent, Johnson Houghton's 2018 Queen Anne Stakes (G1) winner, when he takes his planned trip to the to the Rowley Mile Oct. 11 for the Dewhust Stakes (G1).
"Time-wise, this was the right race and I think we'll be off to the Dewhurst now," she said.
"I'm so lucky, it has gone really well this year. Ant (Anthony Bromley) and I work really hard at the sales; we don't have the biggest budget, but we get it done. I've got a great team and an amazing place to train."
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