At Rosehill Gardens on Saturday, Lazzura secured her outstanding spring campaign with a narrow victory in the Group 2 $500,000 Hot Danish Stakes over 1400 metres.
Trainer Chris Waller’s representative, Darren Beadman, acknowledged post-race, “It wasn’t a gimme.” Lazzura, the strong odds-on favourite at $1.35, had to dig deep to overcome the front-running Gerringong, though victory always seemed within reach.
Meanwhile, Autumn Glow, also from the Waller stable, required a bit more effort than anticipated to pass her stablemate Lindermann in the Group 1 Champions Mile. Despite the challenge, she finished convincingly to claim the win.
Autumn Glow retires to the spelling paddock having won all four of her starts this spring, including three Group 1 events, solidifying her status as the country’s premier racehorse. The Waller yard also celebrated a trifecta in the Champions Mile, with Lindermann second and Buckaroo third.
Lazzura extended her winning streak to three consecutive Group 2 victories from four starts this spring, bolstering her growing reputation as a top-tier mare in training.
With jockey Tommy Berry guiding Lazzura with supreme confidence, the favourite gradually wore down the determined leader Gerringong ($6.50), ultimately winning by a half neck. Another Waller mare, Surf’s Up ($17), finished a distant third, more than two lengths behind the winner.
Gerringong’s jockey, Nash Rawiller, had set a blistering pace upfront, turning the race into a sharp sprint with the final 600 metres covered in a rapid 32.94 seconds, which only enhances the merit of Lazzura’s performance.
Beadman, known for his wit, offered a spirited defence when it was suggested Lazzura might have drifted inwards towards Gerringong near the finish line.
“It was as wide as the Sydney Heads, turn it up!” Beadman retorted.
Lazzura now heads for a well-deserved spell, having achieved impressive wins in the Golden Pendant, The Invitation, and the Hot Danish Stakes this season.
“She has been in scintillating form,” Beadman commented. “She takes all the guess work out of it with her style of racing, she puts herself there.
“The 1400m is about as far as she wants, but she hit her sweet spot today.
“She had to do a bit of work last start when she won The Invitation but today it was pure grit and determination.
“For Ricky Senior and Junior and the Surace family, they put a lot of effort into their horses, what they are searching for and what they breed, so it is a great result.”
Beadman also took time to commend jockey Tommy Berry’s ride.
“When the other horse came out of the race, the likely leader, Tommy was able to get there a lot softer than last start when he won The Invitation on her,” Beadman explained.
“He ‘curled his mo’, kept his cool, and 1400m is about as far as she wants.
“It was a tidy effort. She’s a Group 1 winner and meeting those horses at level weights, she was thrown in at the weight.
“It was a nice win and Surf’s Up getting stakes placed, picked up some black type, too.”
Berry shared his thoughts on Lazzura’s adaptability from a moderate early pace to showcase her quality against a game Gerringong. “We went across the line and Nash says ‘that was a good race because we had to fight the whole way down the straight’,” Berry recalled.
“The margin doesn’t reflect the performance but the time does [32.94s]. We quickened up really well from the 600m, I put in a good kick at the 400m and the 200m. And Nash just stuck with me from there, his is a very good filly on her day.
“Any horse with class can run up a quick 600m if you get an easy time she has done it well.
“I would have enjoyed a bit more give in the track than what is there today but she is a winner and that is what she does.”
Trainer of Gerringong, Chris Munce, expressed satisfaction with his mare’s performance. “She has had a good preparation,” Munce stated.
“After she won The Nivison first-up, maybe that run took a little bit out of her when she ran fourth in The Invitation even though she wasn’t beaten far.
“But she was back to her best today and ran very well. We will take her home and give her a break now, then set her for the autumn carnival.”
Punters looking to back a winner can find competitive racing odds at Australian betting sites.