Best to come from Five Star Anvil

Five Star Anvil is only going to get better - and he is going to need to.

The Doug Gale-trained colt won New Zealand harness racing's richest juvenile prize when he made the most of a perfect trip in the $300,000 PGG Wrightson Sales Series Pace at Addington on Saturday.

It was a case of gate speed, manners and toughness combining for Five Star Anvil to down the gutsy Smiling Shard, who had to sit parked, and the even more luckless Courage To Rule, who stormed into third.

While the victory was the most lucrative a juvenile can have in this country, Five Star Anvil faces an even tougher test this Friday in the $200,000 Sires' Stakes Final.

Waiting for him will be the twin peaks who have cast their shadows over the juvenile pacing landscape: Kotare Mach and Stormy Sirocco.

Kotare Mach has freakish potential and will start a hot favourite if he draws well, while Stormy Sirocco looks a rare talent and beat Five Star Anvil the only time they clashed.

"I think my horse needs to improve to beat Kotare Mach because he has looked very good," said Gale yesterday.

"And Kotare Mach has an advantage over us because he doesn't have to back up after just six days."

Gale said that while Kotare Mach looked something special, punters had yet to see the best of Five Star Anvil.

"I have had a lot of problems trying to get him absolutely right and he can go even better than he did yesterday.

"But the problem is we don't have a lot of time to work with him.

"He has two big races in the next three weeks and because he is still maturing and has had some blood problems I can't put as much pressure on him as I would like."

Five Star Anvil's win was one of the most important of Gale's career because his wife, Wendy, owns half the colt, meaning with percentages the victory could earn them close to $90,000.

"As a trainer to win that sort of money you have to have a million-dollar earner and even then you don't get it all in one hit.

"So I was pretty excited. I had a good yell when he was coming down the straight."

Gale believed one reason Five Star Anvil had been able to overcome some physical problems this season as well as handle the sticky track on Saturday was his breeding.

He is by McArdle, whose smartest stock have some x-factor, out of a Soky's Atom mare.

"He is bred more like the horses we used to breed 15 years ago before we started having so much Direct Scooter blood in our horses.

"I think horses bred more in line with our stock of that era tend to be tougher than many of the horses we have going around today."

While beaten, Smiling Shard was impressive and looks every bit as good as the winner, and Courage To Rule staged a big recovery after a back-straight check and looks the big late season improver of this crop.

Lauraella has been paid one of the greatest compliments possible by the man who knows her best.

"She is a female version of Elsu or Changeover at the same stage," said trainer Geoff Small after the filly's crushing win.

Lauraella overcame a second line draw and some intense mid-race pressure when sitting parked to outstay Beaudiene Bad Babe in the $150,000 Nevele R Fillies Final.

It was her eighth win from 10 starts this season and with better luck she would be unbeaten.

She has won $417,068 this season alone and still has Friday's New Zealand Oaks, the Harness Jewels and then, possibly, an Australian campaign to come.

So, barring a dramatic form loss she looks set to win more money during her 3-year-old season than either Elsu or Changeover, both of whom dominated their age group for Small before going on to be open-class heroes.

"She is just like them, but a girl," said Small. "She is tough, fast and she knows how to win. She knows what to do to win." Driver David Butcher convinced Small of that.

"At the 800m mark when she [Lauraella] was sitting parked and Imagine Me came three wide, David said he was in two minds whether to let her go or not.

"But Lauraella knew what to do and kept edging forward to stay in front of the other horse.

"She has the same will to win as Elsu and Changeover."

Lauraella may not be asked to achieve the open-class greatness of Small's previous champions, who are New Zealand's two richest pacers ever.

While she would seem certain to race next season, her ultimate worth lies in the broodmare paddock.

Already this season, her brother topped the Karaka yearling sales so, with her breeding, race record and all-important size, Lauraella has to be one of the most commercial broodmare prospects in New Zealand harness racing history.

Her first aim is the Oaks this Friday and Small has bad news for her rivals.

"She will definitely be better on Friday. She was below her best on Saturday but ate up well after the race and she will love the distance this Friday."

Beaudiene Bad Babe was a superb second but the bubble burst for favourite Joyfuljoy, who had to work hard to lead but failed to run a place.

Any argument over whether she is as good as Lauraella is now a waste of breath.