Zulu Warlord To Race Into Retirement A Winner

GRAND campaigner Zulu Warlord has a mission on Saturday morning up the straight at Richmond … to win the race named in honour of his retirement.

The son of Fernando Bale and Zulu Power will contest his final race, a Masters sponsored by his connections to farewell the winner of 26 races in 60 starts and $148,000.

And he will come into the race off an all-the-way win in a Masters last Saturday in 17.76.

“He has been such a wonderful dog and so good to his owners Mick (Knobbs) and his mates,” said Kat Ernst whose partner Joe Mcfadyen trains the dog.

Mick Hardman has Chase Me Honey and Analysing gunning for the 2022 edition of the @ladbrokescomau @bathurstdogs Gold Cup, this #FlashbackFriday let's rewind the clock one year to when he won the race with Zulu Warlord…

Watch the Cup tonight at 7:57pm: https://t.co/VSEFMKmxxo pic.twitter.com/LrKSGQPV9P

— The Dogs (@Thedogs_com_au) February 4, 2022

“His owners are taking him home after Saturday and plan to get some straws from him if anyone wants to use him (at stud).”

Zulu Warlord was a high class race dog at his best winning the Bathurst Cup, running second in the G1 Paws Of Thunder and G3 Bob Payne Sprint and third in the G2 Black Top and G3 The Ambrosoli.

He was also a finalist in the G2 Maitland Cup.

“We were just starting out and Mick and the boys gave us a few dogs to get us started,” said Kat.

“He hurt a sesamoid in the heats of the Maitland Cup and was off for quite a while.

“He's won nine races for us and has concentrated on Richmond up the straight because he was having trouble getting around turns.

“There will not be a Masters at Richmond for a month, so the time was right for him to retire.”

Kat said Zulu Warlord was “born to be a race dog”.

Grand campaigner Zulu Warlord returned to the winner's circle in the Masters at @richmond_greys yesterday, making it 4 from 6 down the straight!

He's our Stockman & Paddock #RunOfTheWeek!

Full results: https://t.co/kyW7NLNIdn#thedogs pic.twitter.com/pqKTR9o33M

— The Dogs (@Thedogs_com_au) October 12, 2022

“He is never any good in trials,” she said.

“But, all he wants to be is a race dog. Every week he pings to the front and runs the same race.”

Come Saturday at Richmond, Zulu Warlord will line up in the “Happy Retirement Zulu Warlord Masters” and can be expected to go close to winning.

He's been doing that all his race career.