Photo: Riccarton Park Facebook Page
In her first run since crossing the Cook Strait, Lady Of Court (Savabeel – Are There Any) struck winning the Alistair Gray Memorial Maiden (1400m) at Riccarton on Saturday.
A half-sister to eight-time winning sprinter Challa, Lady Of Court was also purchased as a yearling by Te Akau Racing's David Ellis from Trelawney Stud's draft at the Book 1 Sale of the New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sales.
Owned by Te Akau 2022 Fillies Breeding Syndicate (Mgr: Karyn Fenton-Ellis MNZM), Lady Of Court carries a cross of immortal sire Northern Dancer, while Are There Any has a Danzig cross.
Competently handled by Te Akau apprentice Niranjan Parmar, Lady Of Court travelled in midfield, circled free of interference rounding the home turn, and she sustained a big run before posing late for the photo as a clear winner.
“She’d been knocking on the door and it was a really good winning run,” Co-trainer Mark Walker said.
“She’s slowly learning to relax better in her races and we’ll give her the opportunity of competing in a stakes race of March 2nd at Wingatui.”
The race in mind is the $80,000 NZB Airfreight Stakes (Listed, 1400m) on Saturday 2 March at Wingatui.
“Trelawney are great breeders, we’ve had a lot of luck buying horses from their drafts and I think Lady Of Court will keep getting better with age,” Walker added. -NZ Racing Desk
