Te Rapa success for sweet mare

The form book pointed toward success for the WS-bred Porotene Lollipop at Te Rapa this afternoon and so it proved for the Taranaki-trained mare. The daughter of Pins had beaten the highly-regarded Kawi two runs back and at her next appearance she finished third behind WS’s subsequent Gr 1 Thorndon Mile runner-up Costume.

“She’s always showed plenty of ability, but I’ve had a lot of problems with her feet and I’ve just got her right,” trainer Robert Patterson said. “She was a bit unlucky behind Costume and should probably have run second and she’s showed a bit of class today.”

A $70,000 purchase from WS’s 2009 Premier Sale consignment, Porotene Lollipop is out of a half-sister to the Gr 2 Auckland Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes winner Viennetta who is the dam of the multiple Australian stakes winner Golden Archer. “We were thinking of going to the Waiararapa Breeders’ Stakes next Thursday, but Recite, Arietta and I Do are going there so we’ll look at the Taranaki Cup,” Patterson said. “She’ll get in with a light weight and she’s only a little horse so that’s a better option than Wairarapa.”