Zavateri overcame pre-race scares to dominate the Group 2 Virgin Bet Celebration Mile at soggy Goodwood, winning as the well-backed 11-10 favourite.
The former Group One winner had never run on soft ground and lost one of his shoes on the way to the start with Charles Bishop steering.
Clear-cut victory
In the race there were no concerns as Zavateri went away from Qirat (13-2) and Fast Tracker (12-1) to register a clear-cut victory.
"He's a horse of a lifetime," said Bishop. "He just took a stumble as I pulled him up after the first canter (and lost the shoe). He doesn’t like waiting around so we just carried on."
Ground worries dismissed
"We were a bit worried about the ground so we kept our nerve and rode him the same way we would have done on fast ground. He has an electric turn of foot and I got there far too soon," Bishop added.
Zavateri scooped the top level National Stakes at the Curragh in September 2025, but missed the 2026 Classics due to a setback.
Target set for Ascot
Trainer Eve Johnson Houghton was encouraged by what she had seen on the track since, as her star had run well without much room in Goodwood's Sussex Stakes and finished fourth in the City of York Stakes on the Knavesmire last Saturday.
Zavateri is 10-1 (from 25-1) for the QEII Stakes on Qipco British Champions Day at Ascot on October 17. "That's where we're going," she said. "I said if he goes on the ground he would win and he did. He is from very small beginnings but has developed into a machine."
