Lakelsa shines in Mares Championship

[Wandering Eyes]

By Michael Guerin

When you watch Lakelsa bolt to Group 2 glory at Addington on Friday night you could easily wonder how it took her so long to make to the big time.

But see her closer up in real life and it becomes a bit more apparent.

The Regan Todd-trained mare started her five-year-old season with an easy all-the-way win in the $60,000 Garrards Premier Mares Championhip at Addington.

She boomed straight to the front for Robbie Close and when she wasn’t attacked her closing 800m in 55.1 seconds was always going to make her too slick to catch.

Behind her were Ruby Roe, All You Need Is Me and Treacherous Baby, all star three-year-olds last season whereas Lakelsa didn’t even race at three, rare these days for one so talented.
“She was just too big,” says Todd.

“She was a slow maturer and a couple of times she got away in the cart on us and she took a bit of getting right.

“That is why she never raced as a young horse but she is making up for is now.

“She is getting better with every start these days and we now have the Group 1 [Breeders Stakes] in a couple of weeks time for her.
 “Some of those ones she beat tonight will improve for that but she has turned into a lovely mare.”

Horses who need time also need patient owners and Lakelsa has them in breeders/owners Bruce and Al Sinclair.

“I reckom my grandfather trained their first horse and they are good Southland men who can be patient with their horses.”

That patience may get repaid at the highest level of mares racing in two weeks if last night’s win is anything to judge by.

One horse who did plenty of racing at two and three, both very successfully, started his four-year-old season with a win when We Walk By Faith just held on in a strong Race 9.

Having his first start since winning the NZ Derby in December he strode to the lead and looked set for an wasy win before stablemate Wish Me Luck almost passing-laned him.

Both horses, like many of the age group starts who resumed at Addington on Friday, should improve for the outing and trainer Hayden Cullen has plenty of options with the pair.

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