Zonda (foaled 5 December 1994) is a retired New Zealand

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a list of horse breeds, horse breed developed for Thoroughbred racing, horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thorough ...

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its bas ...

who won the

New Zealand Derby The New Zealand Derby is a set-weights Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds, run over a distance of 2,400 metres (12 furlongs) at Ellerslie Racecourse in Auckland, New Zealand. It is held in March each year. History The New Zealand Derby i ...

in 1997. His career faced unfortunate setbacks from injury. Despite this, many consider him one of New Zealand's top horses of the 1990s. The son of Zabeel took three races to clear maidens, but followed that Paeroa win with four more wins in a row, including the Avondale Guineas, the Derby and a victory in the Group 2 Alister Clark Stakes at Moonee Valley in Melbourne. He followed that Melbourne win up with a third-placing at Caulfield and second in the 1998 Cadbury Guineas behind Gold Guru, before finishing a disappointing fifth in the

Rosehill Guineas The Rosehill Guineas is an Australian Turf Club Group One Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds at set weights run over a distance of 2000 metres at Rosehill Gardens Racecourse in Sydney, Australia annually in March. Total prize money for t ...

behind

Tie The Knot Tie The Knot (foaled 1994 - Died October 2012) was an Australian-bred Thoroughbred racehorse who won 13 Group One races. In 1999-2000, he was voted Australian Champion Stayer and in 2021 was inducted into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame. ...

and Tycoon Lil. However, it became clear that he had suffered an injury in that race, and he wasn't seen again on the track for two and a half years. Zonda returned to his very best to win the

King's Plate The King's Plate (known as the Queen's Plate from 1860 to 1901 and 1952 to 2022) is Canada's oldest thoroughbred horse race and the oldest continuously run race in North America, having been founded in 1860. It is run at a distance of for a max ...

(Group 3, 1600m) and the Oaks Stud Classic (Group 1, 2000m) at

Ellerslie Racecourse Ellerslie Racecourse is the main racecourse in Auckland, New Zealand, for thoroughbred racehorses. It is an undulating, grass circuit in the suburb of Ellerslie, New Zealand, Ellerslie, with a circumference of just under 1,900 metres. Racing ...

in successive starts. However, he suffered yet another injury not long afterwards and was off the scene for another year, and was only seen on the track on two more occasions in his career. His career was so injury-plagued that he was very rarely seen at his best on the track after his Derby victory. His trainer Roger James has described him as both the best horse he's trained and the most frustrating. But it is his Derby win that sticks in the memory. It was clear before the field had even turned for home in the race what the result would be. After seemingly effortlessly cruising to the lead he produced a stunning burst of acceleration and left his rivals in his wake, with the final margin at the line being four and three-quarter lengths, a margin that no Derby winner has gone close to matching since.

References

Zonda's pedigree and partial racing stats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zonda (Horse) 1994 racehorse births Thoroughbred family 22-c Racehorses bred in New Zealand Racehorses trained in New Zealand

See also

References