Racing: Kiwi Ingenuity, Lauraella on injury list

The great Kiwi pacing mare implosion has claimed two new victims.

Lauraella and Kiwi Ingenuity, the two favourites for Friday night's $80,000 Breeders Stakes at Addington will both miss the group one, and are likely to be out for the rest of the season.

That comes just two weeks after New Zealand's other best pacing mare Nearea Franco had her season also ended by injury.

Which leaves mares whose connections would have given their pride and joy no chance of winning the Breeders Stakes a fortnight ago a chance at group one glory and the long-term broodmare benefits which accompany it.

Kiwi Ingenuity's loss is a double blow for harness racing administrators as she was the early second favourite for the Auckland Cup on March 12.

Trainer Robbie Holmes said his giant mare is starting to feel the niggles associated with racing under the extreme pressure of open class.

"She has always had a few little problems and it is harder on them when they get to open class," said Holmes.

"But they are only small thing which are stopping her from showing her best at the moment.

"She is too good to risk with them so she can have a decent break and come back next season.

"We are still confident she has a lot of racing ahead of her." Lauraella's injury is more of a shock as she has raced only sparingly this season but vets have told trainer Geoff Small his best mare has a tendon injury.

"We won't really know until we get her home and see how it looks when it is settled down," said Small.

"But first indications are it isn't very good and that she is unlikely to race for the rest of the season."

That is a huge blow to the mare's connections because not only was she starting to come back to her potent form of last season but with Nearea Franco and Kiwi Ingenuity sidelined she would have been favourite for the open-class races as well as her division of the Harness Jewels at Cambridge on June 5.

The loss of two more big names leaves Breath Of Life, Trigirl Brigade and Crystal Star in the running for favouritism for Friday's group one.

Meanwhile, Aussie hero Blacks A Fake will go into the Interdominions in Sydney in nine days a last-start winner after an easy win in a minor race on the Gold Coast yesterday.

For the first time in her 79-start career, Blacks A Fake was not driven by trainer Natalie Rasmussen, who is suspended, with her husband Grant Dixon taking the reins.

He sat parked to win a low stakes race in a 1:56.2 mile rate for 2100m.

The Queenslander was facing retirement in December after a poor Miracle Mile showing but after a quiet summer has returned to winning form in minor races. He heads to the series, which starts in Sydney on Friday week, looking to become only the second pacer to qualify for five Interdominions final.

If he achieves that he will follow in the hoofprints of the great New Zealand pacer Caduceus, who made five finals, winning the last in 1960.

NIGHT MARES
* The past month has seen three of New Zealand's best pacing mares sidelined.
* Lauraella has joined Kiwi Ingenuity and Nearea Franco on the injured list.
* All three former Harness Jewels winners are unlikely to race again this season.
* Their loss comes the same week as the group one Breeders Stakes at Addington on Friday.