Brett Prebble aboard Zouzarella (Image: Racing Photos)
Zouzarella confirmed her Thousand Guineas credentials and continued the winning run of jockey Brett Prebble when she surged clear to score a decisive win in the Listed Atlantic Jewel Stakes at The Valley on Saturday.
In a mixed result for the Anthony and Sam Freedman stable, Zouzarella kept her unbeaten record intact while heavily-backed stablemate Argentia ($2.90 fav) was never comfortable on the rain-affected going and found little room in the run home before finishing near the tail of the field.
Prebble, who won Victoria's opening Group 1 of the season, the Memsie Stakes, just a week ago aboard Behemoth, said Zouzarella has always shaped as something special.
"With a filly like that, I've been quite excited," he said. "Riding her again from last time, she's quite special and it is what it is all about getting on a good one like that and it helps when they're sound.
"I'm just reaping the benefits from this feeling and you can't buy that feeling."
WATCH: Zouzarella's win
Zouzarella drifted from a tight opening quote to start at $13 and she had a two-length margin on the line over Godolphin filly Larkspur Run ($10), with Literary Magnate ($7.50) three-quarters of a length away in third.
Sam Freedman said the stable feared the wet track might play against Argentia while suiting Zouzarella.
"She's handled the ground at home and in her trials she's handled it really well," he said of Zouzarella.
"She didn't have a lot of luck in running but she is that sort of big-framed filly who probably enjoys a bit room when she's able to pin the ears back like that.
"The query today was that she's looking for 1400 and she was powerful to the line.
"She'll probably head to the Jim Moloney Stakes next and then we'll probably go to the Thousand Guineas after that.
"A big thank you to Cambridge Stud for sending her our way. She's a beautiful filly."
Freedman said the stable feared Argentia might not revel in the wet conditions.
"She was never comfortable from the start. Now we know for sure about wet tracks. We had to find out at some stage," he said.
He said both fillies will stay on the path to the Thousand Guineas, where Argentia ($8) remains the co-favouite with Heresy while Zouzarella moved up to the next line at $8.50 with Sportsbet.