Photo: Grant Peters (Trackside Photography)
Four years on from his Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m) triumph, Asterix (Tavistock) is enjoying a second wind as a seven-year-old and collected his fourth feature win of the season in Saturday’s A$200,000 Gr.3 Tattersall’s Cup (2400m) at Eagle Farm.
The Tavistock gelding initially took time to find his feet in the new surroundings of Chris Waller’s stable, but the patience of his connections has been rewarded this time in with victories in the A$300,000 The Beauford (2300m) at Newcastle, the Gr.3 JRA Plate (2000m) at Randwick, the Listed Gosford Gold Cup (2100m) and Saturday’s Tattersall’s Cup.
Asterix was ridden by Tim Clark on Saturday and settled at the tail of the six-horse field before launching an irresistible finish down the home straight. Clark angled him to the outside and drove him home over the top of his rivals, getting up to beat Pounding by a long neck.
“I just felt my main priority there was just to get him to settle,” Clark said. “He has raced a bit keenly previously, so I just felt it was really important to get the first two-thirds of the race right. If I could do that, I knew he'd take care of the rest.”
Asterix became the fourth Tattersall’s Cup winner for Waller, who has previously won it with Index Linked (2016), Brimham Rocks (2020) and Manzoice (2025).
“It’s a race that’s been pretty good to Chris over the years,” assistant trainer Charlie Duckworth said.
“This horse was obviously brilliant at the start of the preparation, and then he took a massive step up in grade when he finished sixth in the Doomben Cup (Gr.1, 2000m) and Q22 (Gr.2, 2200m). So it was a drop back in grade today, and I think that’s all he needed.
“Tim gave him a lovely ride. He didn’t panic early and just let it all unfold in front of him, and then the horse was really strong late.”
Asterix was bred by Sir Owen Glenn's Go Bloodstock and is by Tavistock out of the Shirocco mare Mourasana.
Curraghmore offered Asterix at the 2020 NZB Ready to Run Sale at Karaka, where Bruce Perry Bloodstock bought him for $450,000.
Asterix began his career in the Matamata stable of Lance O'Sullivan and Andrew Scott, for whom he won four of his 14 starts, including the 2022 New Zealand Derby and the 2024 edition of the Gr.2 Avondale Cup (2400m).
Asterix has now had a total of 29 starts for eight wins, two placings and A$1.41 million in stakes.
