The 8yr-old proved the toughest in the 2110m feature, run in testing conditions on a soaked Ascot Park track.
The victory notched Gordon’s 19th win in her first season training in a solo capacity. She previously trained in partnership with her late father, Jack.
The 8yr-old Shakti and fifth-placegetter The Gordonian, a 9yr-old, have given their trainer a big boost in the first season of her new training regime.
"I must have the luck of the Irish with me this season," Gordon said.
"It has been awesome seeing some of these old boys step up and have a good season.
"Shakti has won five. He took all of last winter to get out of rating 65 grade, but since then he has never really looked back.
"The Gordonian has won three, one of them being the Riverton Cup, another with the Winter Classic in Christchurch, as well as the Greymouth Cup."
Shakti’s supreme fitness on the testing Ascot Park track was aided by him being ‘rock-hard’ fit, thanks to an extended campaign.
"He has been in work for about a year and a-half," Gordon said.
"He didn’t race until he was 5. He has had little breaks along the way but with those older horses, if you put them out for too long, it is hard to get them back."
Gordon may need to do some creative planning for Shakti and The Gordonian to be able to add more wins to her season’s tally. A lack of upcoming staying races in the South for the pair mean Gordon will either have to travel further north for her winning roll to continue, or put Shakti and The Gordonian on ice until a suitable race closer to home comes along.
New changes to New Zealand’s apprentice claiming system had an immediate impact in Invercargill yesterday. Shakti’s rider, Gosen Jogoo, was among several of the country’s apprentice jockeys who were able to claim an extra kilogram at yesterday’s meeting after limits that dictate their claims were changed by New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing on Monday.
Jogoo and fellow apprentices Rafi Firdhaus, Amless Bohorun and Brett Murray rode five of the nine winners at Ascot Park after having their claims extended by 1kg.
Kin Kwo, whose 3kg claim was not altered by the rule change, won two races yesterday.
