NZ Cup winner could still defend title

By Adam Hamilton

FORGOTTEN star Cruz Bromac is still a chance to defend his NZ Cup crown later this year.

Exuberant owner Danny Zavitsanos said the rising nine-year-old was over his issues and would have been back racing now were it not for the impact of COVID-19.

A fetlock injury earlier this year sidelined Cruz Bromac and potentially threatened his career. He hasn’t raced since a fifth in the Auckland Cup on New Year’s Eve.

“He had a good spell in Sydney and seems really well,” Zavitsanos said. “We could’ve had him back now, but there’s such uncertainty, especially with the Queensland Carnival, we just took it easy with him again.

“He’s now down with Dean (Braun) and Amanda (Grieve) and they’ll bring him up with a view to the Victoria Cup, if it’s still run in (mid) October.

“Sending him back for the NZ Cup is still a chance for sure. We’d love to do that.

“Everything depends on how well he comes back to racing this time around.”

In this stellar season, Cruz Bromac ran third in the Victoria Cup for Grieve and Braun, then moved across to the All Stars’ barn where he ran second in the Kaikoura Cup before his NZ Cup triumph.

The gelding when ran a luckless third in the NZ free-for-all before a win and two placings in his three Auckland Inter Dominion heats then a slightly disappointing fourth in the final won by stablemate Ultimate Sniper.

That fifth in the NZ Cup was only subsequent run.

“It’s been a fantastic season and that NZ Cup win was so special, something we’ll treasure forever. Hopefully he comes back really well and we can have another go at this year,” Zavitsanos said.

Cruz Bromac’s 11 runs this season have so far netted three wins, three seconds, two thirds and $509,348 in earnings so take his career bankroll to $1.08 million.