Hera strikes in Australia

6 November 2014

New Zealand mare Hera is on the board in Australia following her success at Rosehill on Saturday. The O’Reilly mare showed significant improvement on her resuming effort last month when she opened her account for Broadmeadow trainer Kris Lees.

The four-year-old began her career with Roger James at Cambridge and was the winner of the Listed Great Northern Foal Stakes at two. She bloomed in her classic season to add the Group Two victories in the Eight Carat Classic and the Sir Tristram Fillies’ Classic to her record. She was subsequently sold to Australian interests and a fourth placing in the Gr.3 Carr Stakes had been her previous best effort across the Tasman.

Purchased by James for $28,000 from WS’s Select Sale team in 2012, Hera is out of the unraced Centaine mare Corsica. She is from the family of the former champion juvenile and multiple Group One winner Ballroom Babe.

The Corner with Garry Chittick

The writing of my Corner started many years ago, motivated by an irritation that I felt needed scratching. It was never my intention to make my commentary regular; neither did I intend to reinvent the direction of racing administration. It is both disappointing and ironical that what should be a simple, straightforward business provides a regular need for comment.

27 October 2026

Ocean Park’s With Grace seals NZ Cup berth

South Auckland mare With Grace secured her berth in next month’s Gr.3 Martin Collins New Zealand Cup (3200m) at Riccarton when extending her winning sequence to four with victory in the Baker Tilly Staples Rodway 2100 at Te Rapa on Labour Day Monday.