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By Ray Hickson

Trainer Gayna Williams feels she has a Country Championships prospect for 2025 in unbeaten gelding Zarizatycoon but is a little cautious about his TAB Highway debut at Rosehill on Saturday.

Trainer Gayna Williams (Pic: Bradley Photos).

A bit of a late starter, the four-year-old has taken all before him in runaway wins over 1300m at Narromine and 1200m at Mudgee in the past month.

While the 1100m of Saturday’s Highway isn't the distance Williams would have normally picked out for Zarizatycoon it’s the logical progression for the horse.

“These Highways are not easy to win. He’s still learning and I think he will be a better horse next prep,’’ Williams said.

“His biggest issue will probably be the 1100m, I didn’t want to bring him back in distance but I didn’t want to step him up too quickly either.

“The first furlong will give us an indication of how he will go, if they went too hard I wouldn’t mind if he took a sit behind them.

“The main goal for country trainers are the Highways and he’s a Class 2, the race was there, if it was 1200m I’d probably feel a bit better about it but we’ll certainly give him the opportunity.”

Zarizatycoon, $7 with TAB on Friday, didn’t appear at the trials for the first time until around six weeks ago and his elevation to Highway level has come quickly.

Williams said he had a paddock injury as a younger horse, he had a tendon issue and had to be rested for an extended time but he’s more than making up for it now.

“He took a bit of time but I think the Zarizs take a bit of time anyway, the owners have been patient and the time has been beneficial to him,’’ she said.

“He’s always been a horse that’s very businesslike. He gets on with the job without being silly, he is a strong trackworker but he’s actually quite placid in his nature.”

A feature of the gelding’s two wins has been opening up clear leads in the middle stages of his races, coming back under Mikayla Weir then charging away again in the straight.

Williams said he isn’t the type of horse that bounces from the gates but builds his momentum and that’s behind her concerns about the step back to 1100m.

“We didn’t realise that he’d be like that until he raced,’’ she said.

“We saw a little bit in his trial at Dubbo but they went slow and it was wet ground so we couldn’t get much of a guide.

“Mikayla thought he went better at Mudgee than he did at Narromine, he got a bit lost first-up but the other day he put them away a bit better.

“I’m not concerned about his ability, he’s a talented horse, but it will be a matter of how the race pans out for him.

Zarizatycoon wins at Mudgee on July 7

“He might find things a bit different if he gets amongst them, he’s never been field shy, but I’m happy to be taking him there.”

The Bathurst trainer has won the Central Districts Country Championships in 2022 with Zoo Station and 2020 with Healing Hands and said she’d like to set Zarizatycoon for the series in the new year.

All the fields, form and replays for Saturday's Rosehill meeting