Racing: Ladies First Auckland-bound

Impressive Wanganui Cup winner Ladies First is rugged up for the winter in her owners' Whangaehu paddock before being prepared for an Auckland Cup tilt.

Allan Sharrock sees a Group One future for his progressive Whanganui-owned mare Ladies First.

"Long-term, the Auckland Cup will be the main aim and we'll work back from there to see which races will be suitable for her," the Taranaki trainer said.

"She'll be more than capable of competing on a firm track if we happened to strike one at Ellerslie - she's a very sound mare.

"Over the extreme distances like 2400 and 3200 metres the good ground wouldn't worry her, it would over 1400 but not over those staying distances."

Ladies First has come a long way in a short time and following her stroll to a last-start victory in the Listed Wanganui Cup she has been turned out on the farm of owners Humphrey and Fiona O'Leary.

The couple have already tasted Gr.1 Auckland Cup success as part-owners of Who Shot Thebarman, who triumphed in 2014.

"She's got a rug on her back in a 25-acre paddock in the Whangaehu Valley," said Sharrock, who was also a cup winner in 2012 with Shez Sinsational.

"I'd envisage her having a couple of months off and there are plenty of options for her, but I would love to give her one run right-handed at Ellerslie. That will give her a look around there before the Cup.

"We could have freshened her up and she would have gone very close to winning the Winter Cup without a lot of weight on her back, but she's way better than a winter handicapper.

"She's a serious racehorse. She's won six out of 10 starts and two at Listed level already."
Ladies First's maiden stakes success came in the Listed Rangitikei Gold Cup at Awapuni last month.