Smart mare strikes at Ellerslie again

27 September 2014

Graham Richardson’s confidence in completing a significant family double with Queens Rose was boosted on Saturday with another Ellerslie success.

The Matamata trainer saddled the five-year-old to win the Ventell Limited 1200 off the back of a resuming victory on the track at her previous appearance.

“She was very impressive in her first time in open class, it couldn’t have gone any better,” Richardson said.

“Her next start will be at Hawera in the fillies and mares race. It will be a strong field there, but it’s a goal for the owners as the mother won that race.”

The event is question is the Gr.3 Rich Hill Stud Taranaki Breeders’ Stakes on October 11 and a weight-for-age contest Queens Rose’s dam Rosetti Bay claimed in 2006.

“Longer-term, we’ll be looking at races in the autumn like the Easter Handicap,” Richardson said.

Queens Rose, whose younger half-sister Diamond Rose broke her maiden at Te Aroha on Friday, has now compiled a record of six wins – all under Noel Harris – from 13 starts.

“She just keeps improving and she’s always had a bit of class about her,” the jockey said.

Queens Rose came down the outside of the track on Saturday to comfortably account for Guevara and Magic Belle.

“When I cruised up to them I gave her a couple of decent ones and she put them away, that’s the sign of a good horse,” Harris said.

The Corner with Garry Chittick

I keep on proposing my retirement from the burden of a weekly Corner. I make the excuse it is hard to be credible, hard to let the two of you know about anything in our sport that hasn’t been covered before.

27 October 2025

WS-bred On The Lash scores at Sha Tin

Twenty-four hours following the final WS Cox Plate meeting run on the Moonee Valley track of old before it shuts for two years to make way for a new precinct, the race’s 2004 winner, Savabeel, continued his roll of runners, and this time it was via five-year-old On The Lash (ex Candelabra) at Sha Tin.