Hardfought win for Lazarus
OTAGOBRED harness hero Lazarus reaffirmed his place at the top of New Zealand’s pacing ranks with a hardfought win at Addington last night.
The 4yrold beat stablemate Heaven Rocks in the home straight to claim the Superstars Championship in his first race since campaigning in Australia in January and February.
Heaven Rocks made the race an exciting spectacle after cotrainer and driver Natalie Rasmussen took her charge to the front soon after the start. The pair set a strong pace, with Lazarus following closely.
Before the turn, Mark Purdon angled Lazarus out of the trail to wind up strongly and overhaul Heaven Rocks to give the All Stars trainers the race quinella.
Purdon labelled his charge ‘‘a great horse’’ in his postrace television interview.
‘‘It was a great run. He got a nice trip behind that other horse and we were always going to fight out the finish, the way it was.’’
The star pacer’s fans may not have to wait long to see him in action again. Lazarus is a possible starter at in the Gordon Roxburgh Freeforall at Adding ton on New Zealand Derby night.
‘‘We will just see how he pulls up. There is a good chance he will be.’’
Rasmussen later claimed the group 2 Flying Stakes with Ultimate Machete.
The driver and cotrainer made sure the pair did not cover the extra ground they did in the Northern Derby by going to the front early in the race.
Northern Derby winner Rakaupuka Ruler and Dexter Dunn finished second after trailing the winner.
Masterful tactics from masterreinsman Tony Herlihy helped the Brian Hughestrained The Orange Agent win the group 1 New Zealand Breeders Stakes last night.
Herlihy controlled the speed before unleashing The Orange Agent to run fast final sectionals to win. It was the prolific group racewinning driver’s first win in the race.
‘’You have to have a very good mare to do this, obviously, and she certainly is,’’ Herlihy hold television viewers.
Driver Dexter Dunn showed similarly masterful horsemanship to judge the finish of the New Zealand Trotting Oaks to absolute perfection.
He nursed the Cran Dalgetytrained Chevron Express up the home straight and urged his charge to hit the front just before the winning post came up.
What made the Muscle Mass filly’s performance so impressive was the strong race tempo set by Oamaru trotter Zoey’s Gift.
With driver Matthew Williamson aboard, the filly fought hard to run fourth after setting the speed. A postrace inquiry found the pair suffered interference in the home straight from third placegetter Needle and Colin de Filippi.
The two horses’ placings were reversed with Zoey’s Gift being promoted to third.
New Zealand records started falling on Addington’s premier night of racing when Chevron Express set a 2.22.9 1950m mobile trotting fillies’ mark.
Franco Nelson’s 3.10.7 winning time in race 6 broke Lazarus’ male pacers’ 2600m standing start record, then The Orange Agent ran 3.07.4 to set a national best time for mares from a 2600m mobile.
Trainer Paul Nairn’s Habibti Ivy broke the 2600m standing start record for trotting mares, in the hands of Blair Orange in race 9 in 3.14.8.