Could we see Zaaki at the Olympic Games?

By Trent Masenhelder of Racing.com

Following a stellar career on the racetrack, one that yielded 15 wins, including four Group 1s, six Group 2s and The All-Star Mile, Zaaki was retired in early 2024.

Four years after running his 48th and final race, the imported gelding may well be competing for a gold medal at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

Post-retirement, Zaaki found his way to Shenae Lowings (via Charlie Richardson) as an Off The Track thoroughbred. Lowings – an Australian Olympian – has taken the 11-year-old eventing – and he’s showing great promise.

Earlier this month, Zaaki performed well at the Thoroughbred Sport Horse Association (TSHA) National Titles at Stonewall in New South Wales. And in two weeks’ time, Zaaki is off to Melbourne to compete in the 3 Day International Event.

“It’s been a great journey, and he’s turning out to be as much of a champion in eventing as he was on the racetrack, so it’s really exciting,” Lowings told The Verdict podcast.

“I think a lot of these good horses just really want to be good at anything they do, and Zaaki’s definitely one of them. He wanted to be good on the racetrack and he wants to be good at the new career he's doing now.

“He just loves it. He is honestly loving every minute of this new career of eventing.” Lowings said while Zaaki may be an accomplished jumper now, that wasn’t always the case.

“I think Annabel (Archibald) told me he wasn’t very good over the jumps at the track, he was quite scared of them and didn’t really know what he was doing,” Lowings said.

“When I got him, it definitely was a bit of a process. He wanted to be really careful, which means he didn’t want to knock the poles down.

“Once he figured out how to get over them, he’s just developed this amazing technique. Thoroughbreds don’t always have the best technique, but he really does. He’s got the front end, the back end, and he seems to have the scope, so he’s figured it out and he’s excelling.”

Lowings, who represented the Australian eventing team at the 2024 Paris Games with Bold Venture, was loath to put any pressure on her beloved Zaaki, but she does have great faith in his ability – so much so, an Olympic campaign could be on the cards.

“I truly believe he’s a good enough jumper to go all the way (to the Olympics). It’s just mentally and physically whether he wants to do that. His natural ability, I think, is good enough,” she said.

“I don’t want to have too many goals with him, I just want him to enjoy his career after racing. He really doesn’t owe anyone anything. At this stage, he’s absolutely loving it, but the minute he stops loving it is the minute we’ll stop, but I can’t see that happening any time soon.”