Peter Rubery (Race Images)
Bradbury Park’s Casey Dando only had one thing on his mind when he awoke from surgery on Saturday.
“The first thing he asked was how did Rosewood go?” said Dando’s wife, Michelle.
Dando underwent an elbow operation and the news of Rosewood’s courageous win was part of a double fillip for the Matamata horseman.
Just over an hour after Rosewood and Lisa Allpress fought doggedly to beat the highly talented Dolcetto in the Fasttrack Insurance Handicap (1200m) at Awapuni, Zedinator came from last to win over 2400 metres at Caulfield for top trainer Darren Weir.
Both Rosewood and Zedinator have links with Bradbury Park, as does midweek winner Horsey Horse Horse, a maiden winner at Matamata last Wednesday whom Dando manages for her Hong Kong-based owner.
”It’s a good way to recover from an operation, getting a few winners like that,” Casey Dando said.
“We foaled Rosewood and did the weanling preparation on her and it’s great to see what she’s doing. She’s only little, but she’s tough. She has won eight now and she deserves to get black-type.”
Zedinator, a three-year-old gelding, has won three of his 13 starts and his last two starts over ground. He won over 2260m at Geelong before his impressive win on Saturday.
“A couple of blokes leased the Grosvenor mare Anne Boleyn and wanted to breed a Warrnambool jumper so they sent her to Zed,” Dando said. “We foaled her down here and took him through until he went to the breakers. He’s looking a pretty smart stayer now, much more than a jumper.”