Superstar Kiwi pacer Lazarus is making excellent progress as he builds up for another crack at the $800,000 New Zealand Cup at Addington in early November.
A spokesman for the Canterbury-based All Stars stable said yesterday that Lazarus is looking as ‘’good as ever’’ after last racing on April 28 when he won the NZ Messenger at Auckland’s Alexandra Park. He has been jogging since late June and will step up to hoppled work later this week.
Lazarus is at $2.20 on the NZ TAB’s early cup markets, with fast-rising stablemate Heaven Rocks at $3.80.
The powerful Bettor’s Delight five-year-old will be named Horse of the Year at tomorrow’s (Thursday) NZ harness racing awards in Christchurch after a brilliant season in which he won the cup by 10 lengths, for co-trainer-driver Mark Purdon, and also took out the Victoria Cup and Chariots of Fire in Australia in 1:49 for the mile.
Lazarus won 12 races and almost $1.3 million this season and now boasts a lifetime record of 27 wins in 32 races for $2.1m in stakes.
Heaven Rocks, who won the 4YO Harness Jewels in 1:51.4 on June 3 at Ashburton to close his impressive season, has been jogging for about six weeks and will also start hoppled work this week, while rugged open-class performer Waikiki Beach, who finished fifth in the same race, has just started jogging after a spell.
Meanwhile, star Clevedon-trained trotter Speeding Spur won’t be ready for the NZ Cup carnival, but is targeting a return to the racetrack around Christmas time in Auckland.
Co-trainer Josh Dickie said yesterday that the six-year-old Pegasus Spur stallion, who has won 18 from 33 starts and $694,000, but who hasn’t race since March after bruising a leg in Australia, has developed into a “full-grown horse now’’.
“He’s got the muscles like a big stallion now, not that he ever looked weak or anything, but he was quite high up in the backside at stages. He’s really developed into himself now.
“He’s only on slow rehab at the moment. He’s due to start full work by September 1. His leg is looking good. He just gave his old [leg] injury a bit of bang [in Australia] and it flared up a bit.
“We just had to wait until it settled down. There was no damage to the tendon, but there was a lot of swelling underneath the skin. He just needed a few months in the paddock until it settled down. The vets are very confident that he’ll make it back.
“All going well he’ll spend a bit of time in Melbourne from January through to March. But there’s a lot of water to go under the bridge until then.’’
Part-owned by All Blacks captain Kieran Read and former All Blacks Andy Ellis and Dave Hewett, plus Commonwealth Games gold medallist Dick Tayler, Speeding Spur could clash with arch-rival Monbet in the Rowe Cup (3200m) in Auckland in April.
Monbet is thriving in work for Canterbury trainers Greg and Nina Hope after a bone-chip operation.
“The last start we had with him he beat us fair and square. But we’ve never been able to race Monbet properly since his three-year-old days,’’ said Dickie.
“It would be nice to have those two back at it. But our fella has still got a lot to live up to with Monbet, because he’s gone on and done it with the Rowe Cup and Dominion.’’
Dickie and his training partner and father John would love to win the Rowe Cup.
“We’ve come close over the years with a couple of Dad’s horses and my nana’s good horse Thriller Dee.’’
Dickie said promising three-year-old Waytogo Bruno is a big chance to win at Cambridge on Thursday night after running second to the talented King Of Swing on debut in a Breeders Crown heat at Alexandra Park on July 21.
Though drawn eight, Dickie says the Betterthancheddar gelding certainly has the ability to take out the event.
“He was a little bit wayward in a couple of trials but seems to be a lot better now. He’s improved a bit since Auckland and trained on well. We are expecting a big run from him but the barrier draw is pretty tricky.
“He needs to grow up a little bit, but with another year on him I think he’ll be a nice enough type. He’s the first Betterthancheddar we’ve trained and the word around the traps in south Auckland is that the trainers like them. He could be the next sire coming through maybe.’’
