Zavite reached a career-high with an upset victory in the G1 Ranvet Stakes at Rosehill on Saturday.  The Zabeel gelding was headed by Descarado in the straight but fought back to regain the lead and the lion’s share of the $400,000 prizemoney on offer.

The Ranvet result was part of another red-letter day for his sire Zabeel.  The Cambridge champion has now sired 632 individual winners of 2001 races in Australia.  His stakes winner tally stands at 100 individual black-type winners of 233 stakes races in Australia.

Zavite (8g Zabeel – Miss Vita by Alleged) started at cricket-score odds after a first-up failure in the G1 Chipping Norton Stakes but the win didn’t surprise trainer Anthony Cummings.  “’He’s a just a sensational horse,” Cummings said.  “His work has been good and he has a great zest for racing.  He got into that rhythm and just kept going.”

The Ranvet increased Zavite’s earnings to $2.36 million in a career that spans 60 starts.  He has also been credited with victories in the G1 Auckland Cup, G2 Adelaide Cup, G3 VRC Queen Elizabeth Stakes and G3 Launceston Cup.

Zavite was an $80,000 buy from the Fells family’s Fairdale Stud draft at the 2004 Inglis Easter yearling sale.  “There was no rap for him but I cut my teeth on NZ yearlings and I’ve been looking at Fairdale yearlings since I was 14,” Cummings recalled.

“The Fells are good breeders.  They’ve been selling horses for three generations while a lot of others have gone by the wayside.  I don’t try and beat New Zealand bred horses – I just get in with them!”

Zavite is from USA bred mare Miss Vita and is a younger brother to 12 time winner Mybigfatgreekhorse.  Her only other starter is the 9 time Australian winner Trescorpioni (Stravinsky).