Racing: Lizzie leaves'em dizzy in big race

Lizzie L'Amour destroys the opposition in Saturday's $400,000 Herbie Dyke Stakes at Te Rapa. Photo / Trish Dunell

Whether or not the late, great Bill Sanders first penned the axiom 'don't spell mares when in top form', he certainly popularised it.

The Te Awamutu chemist cum champion thoroughbred trainer would be hugely proud of the form currently being shown by Lizzie L'Amour, winner, no, destroyer, of Saturday's $400,000 Herbie Dyke Stakes at Te Rapa.

Even if the gloss came off the country's richest weight-for-age race because of Saturday's persistent rain, there is no doubting the dominance of this victory or that it will remain in retrospect one of the season's highlights. Okay, the wet conditions hampered a number of runners, but Lizzie L'Amour had to run over the same footing and weight-for-age races are rarely won by 5.5 lengths.

There is another truism in thoroughbred racing that in varying degrees mares are affected by hormonal changes during the spring breeding season and that optimum form is often not reached until summer and autumn.

On paper Lizzie L'Amour's disastrous Melbourne spring campaign, where in four starts she failed to finish closer than sixth, would appear to back that up, but hormones were not the reason — something went badly amiss. The class mare's trackwork when she got to Melbourne was first class, fractionally better even than her hugely talented stablemate Bonneval.

Lizzie L'Amour was heavily backed to win her first start, the Dato Tan Chin Nam Stakes, but with Damien Oliver in the saddle something went badly wrong approaching the home turn and she was virtually pulled up. That Bonneval won the race underlines the disaster.

Persisting, Lizzie L'Amour finished sixth in the Stocks Stakes under Hugh Bowman then 10th in the Cranbourne Cup and beat one of the 12 runners in the Geelong Cup. Stunningly, seven weeks later she won the $100,000 1600m Cal Isuzu Stakes at Te Rapa, finished second in the $200,000 Zabeel Classic and $100,000 Westbury Classic then won Saturday's $400,000 feature.

That she could race so brilliantly fluctuating her distances at 1600m, 2000m, 1400m then 2000m on Saturday is an enormous credit not only to the mare who physically shuffles along at times in training, but to Murray Baker, 18 hours earlier inducted into the Hall Of Fame, and his training partner Andrew Forsman.

Lizzie L'Amour makes her own luck by being tactically the perfect racehorse. Matt Cameron was able to put her in the ideal one-one position fourth on Saturday and the pair had the race won a long way from home.

And it's not over yet. "She holds a nomination for the Auckland Cup," says Baker, "but the Bonecrusher Stakes is the more sensible option."

Being a $200,000 Group 1 at 2000m at Ellerslie on March 10 it certainly looks an ideal target. Baker says Lizzie L'Amour will also be nominated for the big one, the A$4 million Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Randwick on March 10, yet another 2000m weight-for-age. Why not? Bill Sanders would have recommended it.

Wildflower, probably appreciating the conditions, showed real grit late behind Lizzie L'Amour to work past Nicoletta and Rangipo to take second money. Similarly the third placing by Nicoletta will be a valuable asset to her breeding career.

• When Jonathan Riddell came back on what is now guaranteed to be our Filly Of The Year Dijon Bleu, Emily Bosson on horseback asked what he was going to do on Kawi in the BCD Group Sprint. In his usual up-front manner Riddell said: "You can over-analyse these things, he's the best horse in the race, I'm going to ride him as the best horse in the race and he'll win."

She holds a nomination for the Auckland Cup, but the Bonecrusher Stakes is the more sensible option.

Murray Baker

Okay, Kawi didn't win, but Riddell's positive mindset is so admirable. It won the $200,000 Sir Tristram Fillies Classic for Dijon Bleu. As was necessary Riddell kept the Lisa Latta filly relaxed back in the field for her first try at 2000m and early in the home straight he was looking at a gap between two runners, but it was tight. Dijon Bleu appeared to be in doubt for the gap, but Riddell's determination made up her mind for her.

With the lightning sprint Dijon Bleu is known for she charged forward and, as she has done previously, put the opposition away in a single digit number of strides. "Electrifying," was how Riddell described the dash.

Lisa Latta deserves enormous credit for keeping Dijon Bleu at peak through a lengthy campaign to put her in an uncatchable Filly Of The Year position. Asked if she would proceed towards the 2400m of the Oaks at Trentham, Latta was not going to commit. "She's been up a long time now. We'll look at the Lowland Stakes and see what happens."

The way Dijon Bleu finished off on Saturday there is little doubt that ridden with the same patience she would manage 2400m against her own age.

Mark Two and Milseain did well to fill the minors, but outside the winner, who is undisputed, you wonder how much the overall form will hold up. This was the first race where runners swung wide in the home straight and it changed the pattern. It badly affected well fancied Kapoor, who was outside the leader and left in front before the home turn close to the inside rail without options as the others swung wide. She was under pressure a fair way from the finish. Belle du Nord's effort to finish well back can also be ignored.

Kapoor's trainer John Bell is extremely disappointed. "I particularly asked for the filly to be ridden with cover behind four or five horses and she ended up in the open outside the leader. Danielle Johnson, who is suspended, said the same thing.

"The Oaks has always been the target and this has thrown things to the wind so we'll have to regroup and see where we are."

• Quote of the week: Alysha Collett after swinging to the outside fence to win Race 2 on the $1.90 favourite Indecision on a waterlogged Pukekohe yesterday. "Yes, I talked to the ambulance driver and he said the ground was better out wide."

When did ambo drivers sit exams to judge track conditions? Priceless.