Melbourne hopes for Ladies First
Mare going to paddock after hard-fought Auckland Cup win with Hastings likely to kick-start spring campaign
Go to the yearling sales and the list of theories about what to buy would take you two hours to read. It’s a bit like the line of the Kenny Rogers’ song “There’s someone for everyone and Tommy’s love was Becky.” The Becky for David Ellis’ Te Akau is the blueblood colts with essentially stallion potential and lovely fillies that are racy with broodmare potential.
Te Akau’s trainers Stephen Autridge and Jamie Richards won Saturday’s Sistema Stakes with imposing Sword Of Osman and produced the quinella when magnificent filly Avantage came from last to finish second in the Group 1.
Then you go to the other end of the scale — Ladies First, massive, if narrow, winner of the $500,000 Barfoot & Thompson Auckland Cup. In the racebook, Ladies First is Allan Sharrock’s Becky, but initially he wouldn’t have been skiting about that. Ladies First embraces the theory that handsome is as handsome does — in a paddock full of young, untried thoroughbreds she wouldn’t attract a second look. For a tough 3200m stayer she is as narrow through as any you can recall and even Sharrock admits she is a shocking walker.
“She’s not big and she has no overstep (an attractive quality when assessing untrieds), but toughness is her quality.” There have probably been greater understatements this season, but not many.
On two counts, no-one could believe Ladies First won the timehonoured Cup on Saturday. First Jonathan Parkes sprinted the Taranaki mare mid-race to go from three wide and near last to up to track the leaders, more importantly part of that exercise being on the uphill rise out of the home straight. What is normally suicide proved the winning move.
Then, on the line, Five to Midnight, outside of the two, had the race won everywhere but exactly when it mattered. Ladies First dropped her head at exactly the right time to the great surprise of Sharrock and, unfortunately, Five To Midnight’s trainer Lisa Latta.
“I was sure we’d been beaten and I was walking off the stand,” said Sharrock. “Then I heard George (Simon) saying Ladies First might have won and I pricked my ears up.” Lisa Latta was extremely gracious. “Yeah, I thought we’d won.” Latta embraced the principle that although beaten she was delighted with the performance of her horse — unlike with sprinters, who can almost get themselves ready, stayers at Group 1 take training and she knew she’d done her job properly. And that her horse had raced up to expectations.
Opie Bosson gave Five To Midnight a gorgeous run tracking the leaders and there couldn’t be any regrets. Lisa Latta said she has nominated Five To Midnight for the Sydney Cup. “There is a further payment for the race due Monday afternoon and I will discuss it with the owners over the weekend.”
Five To Midnight has had some tough races in the last six months and Latta deserves credit for keeping him up to the coalface. Sharrock has no such thoughts, which you can guarantee Ladies First will appreciate after her knock-down, drag-out Cup victory. “She is going to the paddock now and the owners are looking at the big race at Hastings in the spring with the possibility of looking at the Melbourne Cup.” One thing you know about Ladies First is she will never carry big weights. Now, can you be sure of that because you would be excused for originally thinking she would never have won a race.
In the manner of how did Makybe Diva win her third Melbourne Cup with a record weight for a mare by a wide margin, Ladies First might surprise you with what weight she might eventually carry.
She has already surprised even her trainer by winning nine from 16. And, that her last three wins have been on firm tracks. “I was sure she was just a mudder,” says Sharrock (record 6 wins and a placing from 7 starts in the wet), “but maybe she’s a firm tracker.” Saturday went a long way towards proving that.
Wildflower went equally as well as the winner in finishing third. She followed Ladies First around the field with a lap left and fought stronger than anyone could have hoped for. There is a good race in her.