Zoutori Set for Big Cantala Mile

Gr1 Newmarket Handicap winner Zoutori (Zoustar-Atotori, by Haradasun) will be aimed at a mile with the $2 million Gr1 Cantala his main aim, reports racing.com. "He's the sort of horse that isn't going to be easy to place, hence we might get him up over a trip this time around," said co-trainer Simon Zahra, who trains in partnership with Mathew Ellerton at Flemington. "The mile like the Cantala and those sorts of races aren't out of his reach and obviously the spring goes long into November now, whereas in the past basically everyone shut up shop after the Flemington Carnival. We will just play around with him a bit and get him up over a trip. He has won over a mile before, so it's not foreign for him, so we are excited to step him out and try something different throughout the spring." Zoutori last raced in April 2021 in the Gr1 All Aged Stakes and was sent for a spell after that. "He had a couple of trips to Sydney and had a longer campaign than normal, so he had his six weeks out and put on plenty of condition and he's only a week or two away from a jumpout," Zahra said. "He's a horse we've always sort of cotton-wooled a bit, he's only had three or four runs each preparation, so this time we will just get him up and give him his couple of jumpouts and map out a bit of a journey for him towards the spring." Sold by Amarina Farm at the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale for $160,000, Zoutori now has earnings over $1.8 million from his eight wins. His full sister, Kiku, won the Gr3 Carbine Club Stakes in April 2021.