Member of the Month: Mick & Janice Mariscotti

Zavateri’s victory in the Group 2 Celebration Mile at Goodwood marked  the latest high point in Mick and  Janice Mariscotti’s ownership journey.  Purchased for 35,000 guineas as a  yearling, Zavateri is on course to make  his final racecourse appearance in the  Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot on  British Champions Day before he retires  to begin his new career as a stallion with Tally-Ho Stud.

 

How did you both first become involved in racehorse ownership? 
We decided that we needed a shared interest when Mick retired and our kids left home. We had both loved attending race meetings when Mick was with Coral, so we decided to give ownership a go. We started with one horse 20 years ago and we are still going! 

Zavateri was purchased for 35,000 guineas as a yearling. What attracted you and trainer Eve Johnson Houghton to him at the sales?
Anthony Bromley and Eve give us a list of yealings that they liked, then we viewed them ourselves. Any horse that we buy must be approved by all four of us. With Zavateri, we liked his physicality and attitude. He also comes from a very nice Aga Khan family, which was another major attraction – we were delighted that we were able to buy him within our budget. 

What was he like in his early days?  
Our pre-trainers, Claire and Chris Bonner, had found him very easy to work with and Eve loved him when he came into full training. But she did not tell us how good she thought ‘Zav’ could be until he won  his first race at Salisbury. We were all there to watch him; he showed that day that he was a very talented horse and we immediately made the decision to run him next in the Group 2 July Stakes at Newmarket, which he also won. 

Please tell us about Zav and his teddy bear? 
Zav is at his happiest when he is on the move. He gets bored in his stable so needs something to amuse him. His groom, Sophie, gave him a teddy bear when he was recovering from his setback in early summer and Teddy has been his constant companion ever since, although in truth, he’s probably been through a few Teddys! 

Which moments from Zav’s career have given you the greatest enjoyment so far? 
His two-year-old career was exceptional. We went from a maiden at Salisbury to a Group 2 at Newmarket, to a Group 2 with a weight penalty at Goodwood, then to a Group 1 at the Curragh – and Zav won all of them. It was a journey of a lifetime for everyone involved with him. 

What did it mean to see him return to winning ways in the Celebration Mile at Goodwood? 
After his setback earlier in the summer, we were delighted that he was able to run in the Sussex and the City of York, and he ran well in both, but we all felt that we had not seen him back to his best. It was a brave decision to run at Goodwood a week after York on very testing ground, but Charlie Bishop had always said that he thought he would act on softer ground, and he flew home! It was fantastic to get him back to winning ways. 

With Zav set to retire to stud, how does it feel to own him from a yearling to a Group 1 winner, to a stallion prospect? 
We would like to have one more chapter to write with Zav as a racehorse, so he is aiming for the QE2 on Champions Day. We hope he signs off in style. Everyone who buys a yearling dreams that their horse can win a Group 1 race, without ever really believing that it can happen, particularly at our price level. It has taken a while, but we are now living our dream.

Quickfire round
Describe Zavateri in three words…
Genuine, brave, warrior 

Favourite racecourse to visit as an owner?
Goodwood 

Race you would most like to win? 
This year it has to be the QE2 on Champions Day!