Zedi Knight delivered plenty of holiday cheer to his trainer Brendan McCarthy in the Listed MRC Christmas Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield on Monday.

Zedi Knight (7g Zeditave – Sly Sandra by Sealed Bid) settled outside the speed and showed his customary dash at the top of the straight before holding off late closers Casabel and Guru Bob.  “He didn’t come up in the spring,” McCarthy said.  “But he dropped the jockey at trackwork on Friday so I knew he was very well.  When he does that sort of stuff he is usually felling pretty good.”

A $35,000 buy from Chatswood Stud at the 2006 Inglis Melbourne Premier yearling sale, Zedi Knight has won 11 races and over $556,000.  Besides the Christmas Stakes, he has also won at Listed level in the MRC Australasia Stakes at Caulfield and the Hareeba Stakes at Mornington.

Zedi Knight is one of 36 stakes winner by former Newhaven Park sire Zeditave who died in July 2010 aged 25.  His dam Sly Sandra was a Listed winner of the VRC Matriarch Stakes at Flemington and she has a four from four record at stud foaling fellow winners Sly Jester (Rory’s Jester), Sly Ruby (Rubiton) and Mariusz (Niello).

Chatswood Stud sold Sly Sandra to McCarthy for $16,000 at an Inglis Melbourne Sale in March.  The following month, her yearling filly by Primus made just $2,500 at the 2011 Inglis Melbourne Autumn Sale.