 | RACING HISTORY |
YEAR: 2009
FEATURE RACE COMMENT
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| Sandy Yarndley with the trophy won by Lauraella |
Lauraella is clearly the best 3-year-old filly in New Zealand at present. They weren't all there to test her at Addington last week, but she was impressive enough to beat the good ones that were there for the recognition to be made.
Arden's Darlin and Rona Lorraine tried hard and were close enough at the finish of the $175,000 PGG Wrightson NZ Yearling Sales Final, but Lauraella was well in charge from the time David Butcher took her to the front at the 800m. She was able to make her own rules and run hard from there, which is the way she likes it.
"When she won the Jewels last year she hadn't won a race before that because that was the first race run to suit her," said trainer Geoff Small. "She always had speed and had been a nice stayer in the making. It's going to be a long hard year for her...you have to feel sorry for 3-year-old fillies, what you ask of them."
Big assignments ahead for Lauraella are the North Island Oaks, the Nevele R Stud Fillies Final, the New Zealand Oaks and Harness Jewels, which gives her the potential to win about $500,000 this season.
Lauraella is a rangy daughter of Christian Cullen from the winning mare Black Maire raced by the Hardwood Breeding Syndicate, comprising Jan and Sandy Yarndley and Max and Judith Hunter, who have been racing horses together for 22 years.
A top filly is nothing new for Small, but he says he's lacked a really good one since the run he had with Pullover Brown, Classical and Copper Beach, all Group 1 winners at three.
Credit: Mike Grainger writing in HRWeekly 4Feb09