Lizzie skips clear in Cup
Former first class cricketer Murray Baker had a throw at the stumps at Te Rapa on Saturday and scored a direct hit.
The direct hit came in the form of a Group III $100,000 Waikato Cup (2400m) win.
Baker prepares Lizzie L’Amour in partnership with Andrew Forsman and the trainers decided to test the daughter of Zabeel in black-type feature at just her eighth start.
‘‘We’ve run her out of her grade but we wanted to get black-type with her,’’ Baker said.
‘‘I knew she would run the trip - she went 2400m in a 2100m at her last start but Matty [jockey Matthew Cameron] has redeemed himself today.’’
The mare ran fifth as favourite in an Ellerslie Rating 75 race after being three wide in the open and wider on the turn before battling to the line.
A more economical trip and the addition of blinkers played a part in Saturday’s significant success.
‘‘It was her first time in blinkers - they work with the Zabeels,’’ Forsman said. ’’It was just her eighth start and it’s not easy to win an open black-type staying race with so little experience,’’ Forsman said.
Lizzie L’Amour was bred by her Matamata owner Lorna Moore who races her with husband Gary.
Out of a Sadler’s Wells mare, Lizzie L’Amour settled three back on the fence before she was into the clear to improve near the turn and she rounded off strongly in the straight.
‘‘She was as good as we could get her today and she had no weight,’’ Baker said.
The Group III City Of Auckland Cup (2400m) on New Year’s Day could be her next mission where she is likely to again clash with Snow Secret, runnerup in the Cup ahead of Megablast in third.
‘‘I’ll run Snow Secret in the City Of Auckland,’’ trainer Shaune Ritchie said. ‘‘The Wellington Cup at the ultimate trip might be her best go but she needs a run before then.’’
The Wellington Cup (3200m) is run at Trentham on January 21.
Megablast turned in a solid performance to take third with Candle In The Wind the next to cross the line.
The favourite Chenille was last with 800m to run and she made little impression beating only two runners home.
Los Vargas may have earned a crack at the Group I Railway Stakes on New Year’s Day after her return to form in the Rating 85 sprint ridden by Shaun McKay.
‘‘I’ll obviously have to give the Railway some serious thought,’’ said winning trainer Graham Richardson.
Richardson was at Awapuni where Volpe Veloce retained her unbeaten sequence in the Eulogy Stakes.
He added wins with Wildflower and Pure Lorde to complete a magnificent day’s work.
The daughter of Fast ‘N’ Famous cut out the 1200m in a swift 1:09.94 getting over the top of Parker’s Piece late in the race with favourite Let Her Rip finishing into third.
Skyweka is another heading for bigger prizes after the Pentire mare won the Rating 85 1600m race for trainer Tony Pike and jockey Danielle Johnson.
The Group II Rich Hill Mile is the target for the winner of five for The Galloping Wekas Syndicate.
‘‘She should get into a race like that with a nice light weight and be a chance,’’ Pike said.
The Listed Swap Contractors 1400 was one of three black-type races on the card and was a walk in the park for Thee Auld Floozie.
Cambridge trainer Stephen Marsh provided the quinella with Seize The Moment fighting strongly for second.
A big, strong Mastercraftsman mare, The Auld Floozie will be a Rich Hill rival for Skyweka.
‘‘I thought both if my horses ran out of their skins,’’ Marsh said. ‘‘The Rich Hill Mile now looks a perfect race for Thee Auld Floozie.’’
She settled three back on the fence under rider Danielle Johnson and, under a minimum of urging, she ambled to the front 300 metres from home and forged clear for the eighth win of her 25 start career.
Thee Auld Floozie was making her first appearance since she finished fifth in last month’s Gr.2 Coupland’s Bakeries Mile.
Seize The Moment also found the Riccarton ground against him in the Coupland’s, but his effort showed he was on target for the Wellington Cup meeting in January.
Zabeel Classic-bound Hasselhoof pleased co-trainer Donna Logan with his impressive finish into third for rider Opie Bosson.
‘‘That’s exactly what we wanted to see,’’ Logan said. ‘‘He will improve a lot with that and it will top him off nicely.’’
Hasselhoof has been off the scene since his third in the Livamol Classic on October 1 after missing a run in last week’s Captain Cook Stakes due to a slight hoof problem.