Lollapalooza heads exciting young team
High-quality performer Lollapalooza (NZ) (El Roca) has proved herself at the highest level and connections are hopeful she will get opportunities in the spring to advance her record.
The daughter of El Roca performed admirably in the best age group company last season and is making good progress toward opening her four-year-old campaign.
Lollapalooza hasn’t raced since she finished a luckless fifth in the $4 million NZB Kiwi (1500m) and thrived during her time out.
“She put on 30kg and I’m really happy with her,” said Graham Richardson, who prepares the mare with Rogan Norvall.
“She will trial at Te Rapa on Saturday and at Te Awamutu (August 25) and we’re hoping she’ll make the field for the Proisir Plate (Gr.1, 1400m), she really does like Ellerslie.
“If she doesn’t make the field, it will be disappointing. It’s not easy because she’s on an unusual rating (78) for a horse that’s won one race, she’s been very genuine.”
The following legs of the Triple Crown series, the Gr.1 Howden Insurance Mile (1600m) and the Gr.1 Livamol Classic (2040m), are also in the mix.
Last season, Lollapalooza won the Gr.3 Gold Trail Stakes (1200m) and finished second in the Gr.1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) as well as runner-up finishes in the Gr.2 Eight Carat Classic (1600m) and Gr.3 Sunline Vase (1400m).
Stablemate Lotus (NZ) (Time Test) will be the Matamata operation’s only runner this weekend when she steps out in the Milan Park Mile (1600m) at Te Rapa on Saturday.
“It was too heavy for her last time so we’re hoping for a better track,” Richardson said.
The Time Test mare significantly boosted her future value with a third placing in the Gr.2 Travis Stakes (2000m) on the course in autumn.
The stable accent is very much on youth for the new term with an abundance of two and three-year-olds in the wings.
“We trialled three really nice fillies at Te Rapa (on Tuesday), Hawea (Hellbent) went very, very well and we’ve had a few issues with her at the gates, but she was perfect,” Richardson said.
The Hellbent filly was turned out following her third placing in the Gr.2 Matamata Breeders’ Stakes (1200m).
“She’ll head to Taupo on Sunday week and so will State The Obvious, she’s very under-rated in my mind and she was extremely good in her trial with nowhere to go and another filly called Hotere also went very well,” Richardson said.
Hotere (NZ) (King Of Comedy) is an unraced daughter of King Of Comedy while Sword Of State filly State The Obvious (NZ) (Sword Of State), who carries breeder Cambridge Stud’s colours, was a winner last term and finished in behind the major players in three subsequent Group outings.
The stud also owns Joyeuse (NZ) (Sword Of State), who has yet to step out but has placed in both of her trials.
“She’s by Sword Of State out of a Tavistock mare and she’s a beautiful horse, we’ve got a lot of young horses coming up so it’s very exciting,” Richardson said. - Paul Vettise
Crockett Looking For Rejuvenated Leovanni To Step Up Again
Cameron Crockett is a very hands on trainer and he knew something wasn’t quite right with Leovanni (NZ) (Leovanni) when she returned to work for her second preparation with him.
He’d spent $40,000 to buy the mare, but in her first two starts she was being hesitant at the jump in country maidens, costing her any chance, and he wondered if he’d done the right thing.
Cut to present day and Leovanni heads to Randwick on Saturday looking for four straight wins, stepping out of Highway grade, in the MM Electrical Handicap (1600m).
If only horses could talk. It was discovered that Leovanni was feeling her back and a decision by Crockett’s vet Jess Sheppard to give the mare an injection in her sacroiliac joint seemingly changed everything, and the rest is history.
“Within three weeks she was a different horse, she still had her tendencies to go a bit hard but she was much happier in herself,’’ Crockett said.
“I’ve been taken back mostly by how good she is.
“I knew if I got her right we were going to see her win races, but you couldn’t fathom her turning around and winning three in four weeks and two Highways.”
The five-year-old has been part of a real purple patch for the Scone trainer who has prepared 10 winners from his last 13 runners.
Crockett says Leovanni is a tough mare, the kind of mare his dad Max would throw him on when he was learning to ride.
She has her quirks at home on the track and clearly she’s feeling well physically and mentally because Crockett says all Leovanni is telling him is she’s ready to go again.
“She is a very hard horse to ride,’’ he said.
“I grew up with horses like her, these are the sort of horses I learned to ride on. Dad used to get them all the time.
“We’ve got her in a good routine when she goes off to the track. I canter her one lap which is very tricky, I don’t think I’d be able to canter her two because she’d be off and gone in the second one.
“I’m also lucky I have a good trackrider.
“You can’t overthink it, we’ve just let her do it. Even the quick back ups, you say she's raced three times in four weeks but the advantage is you don’t have to do anything in between.
“She is very tough so she is a horse you can do this with.”
The task for Leovanni, $9 with bookies on Thursday, is no doubt a tougher one than her Tamworth maiden and two Highway wins but Crockett said another lesson he’s learned, this one from Tracey Bartley, is not to be afraid to give a horse a challenge especially when they’re down in the weights.
She’ll drop to 52.5kg and while coming back from 1800m to the mile she’s shown in her wins that she can come back under the jockey and settle or be made some use of on the speed, as she did last start at Randwick.
“If they’ve got the ability you throw them in the deep end,’’ he said.
“She was very seasoned and very low grade and that was in her corner.
“The biggest trump card is she’s got 52.5kg. When you get down below the minimum I think that’s when you get a real advantage.
“Races with not a lot of pressure bring a lot of good horses undone. She was out the back over racing and not comfortable but she found her rhythm with more pressure in a race.
“She’s 1800m back to 1600m but she’s going to Saturday grade, where there should be some pressure, with less weight.”
Leovanni is by Proisir out of the winning Colombia mare Amparo (NZ), who is a three-quarter-sister to stakes winner Aimee’s Idol. The latter is the dam of Proisir’s Group Three-winning daughter Aimee’s Jewel, while the pedigree page also features the multiple black-type winners Irish Girl (NZ) and Ready To Strike (NZ).
Leovanni was originally offered by Kilgravin Lodge at the 2023 NZB Ready to Run Sale at Karaka, where Blandford Bloodstock and Andrew Williams Bloodstock bought her for $210,000. - NZ Racing Desk
Livamol Classic and NZ 2000 Guineas retain Group One status
The Livamol Classic (2040m) and New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) have retained Group One status this season following a vote by the Asian Pattern Committee (APC).
Both races were subject to the vote after failing to meet the required international race rating standard in their last three editions, with the race rating based upon the first four placings.
The New Zealand Pattern Committee’s submission to the APC noted the NZ 2000 Guineas as a critically important race to not only New Zealand racing but also the wider industry as a potential stallion-making race, with an honour roll of some of New Zealand’s best thoroughbreds.
Dominant three-year-olds in 2023 (Crocetti) and 2024 (Savaglee) did not help the race rating in recent renewals, and surprisingly, the race also missed the required rating in 2022 even though Pier, Desert Lightning and Prowess, all top quality three-year-olds, filled the first three placings.
The Livamol Classic has attracted depth of quality, but the first four placegetters have not been optimal for the race rating, which APC representatives acknowledged.
“The APC vote was unanimous in the retention of the two races as Group Ones, which is pleasing, greatly appreciated and obviously important for New Zealand,” New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing senior handicapper and APC representative Bruce Sherwin said.
“New Zealand Group One races have been under significant pressure in recent years. The international race rating system is presenting a challenge for a small country like New Zealand.”
While the elite-level status of the Livamol Classic and New Zealand 2000 Guineas are assured this season, other New Zealand Group One races are in danger, with the New Zealand Oaks (2400m), Telegraph (1200m) and New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1600m) sitting below the required international race rating and will be subject to an APC vote next month. - LOVERACING.NZ News Desk
Paul Vettise
Joshua Smith
