Lizzie L'Amour is a magnificent example of the staying product we should be trying to breed to tackle the big money on both sides of the Tasman. Australians have priced themselves out of buying the European staying horse to counteract their own desperate attempt to breed speed to speed.
Australians highly prize speed horses while at the same time putting plenty of stakemoney into staying races, like the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups, Cox Plate and Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
Yes, much of that comes down to the expense of waiting the extra year for stayers to develop, but more and more we are seeing stallions here producing early-coming stayers like Shocking. He won a Melbourne Cup, but many of his emerging horses look middle-distance types with tactical speed.
The enormously athletic Lizzie L'Amour will head next to the City Of Auckland Cup at Ellerslie on January 1.
The favourite, Chenille, finished close to last without ever looking a chance to win and rider Daniel Johnson, when asked by stewards, could offer no reason for the failure. A veterinary examination at the request of stewards, revealed a somewhat slow recovery rate.
Snow Secret, another emerging stayer at the top level, fought bravely for second ahead of Megablast. First Honour, who beat Lizzie L'Amour home at Ellerslie at their last start finished at the tail of the field.
In that race Lizzie L'Amour was forced three and four wide after coming out of gate No14 at the 2100m start.
The main protagonists in Saturday's feature sprint at Te Rapa look set to challenge for higher honours over the holiday period.
Thee Auld Floozie beat her stablemate Seize The Moment and Hasselhoof in the J. Swap Contractors 1400 with the trio all set for group features in the coming weeks.
"I thought both of my horses ran out of their skins," trainer Stephen 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 300m from home and forged clear for the eighth win of her 25-start career.
"You really didn't want to be on anything else, she just jogged up to them," Marsh said.
Thee Auld Floozie was making her first appearance since she finished fifth in last month's Coupland's Bakeries Mile.
"The track was just a wee bit too firm for her down here," Marsh said.
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.
"He doesn't go right-handed, we'll be looking at the Anniversary Handicap and the Thorndon Mile for him," Marsh said.
Hasselhoof showed he was closing in on winning form with his late finish for third.
"He was vulnerable at the trip and he'll go to the Zabeel Classic next," said Chris Gibbs, who trains in partnership with Donna Logan.
Hasselhoof is also expected to improve with the outing after he missed a planned run in the Captain Cook Stakes with a foot problem.
"He shifted a plate and stood on it so he was a little bit lame, but you have to put a line through those things and move on," Gibbs said.
- additional reporting, NZ Racing Desk.
