FORMER Derby trial winner Zaitech showed there was life in the old dog yet when finishing all over the top of well-backed favourite Big Apple to cause an upset in the season's opening event.
Zaitech has had a few trainers in his seven years. He started as a headstrong two-year-old with Alec Stewart in Newmarket, England. He then joined Brian Kan Ping-chee, for whom he was winning yesterday, but has been with a few others in the meantime.
He had a spell with Patrick Biancone when he first came to the territory from France at the start of the 1990-91 season and then moved to Bruce Hutchison.
From the white-haired mentor it was off to Ivan Allan and then back to Kan making Zaitech the Zsa Zsa Gabor of racing.
In the meantime Zaitech had dropped down to a mark which allowed him to take a voluntary demotion and race at the top of Class Five.
He looked to have plenty to do under Felix Coetzee when Big Apple swung into the straight with Johnny Marshall holding a double handful on John Moore's sprinter.
