Classy mare Lizzie L’Amour put an indifferent spring campaign behind her to win in group 2 company at Te Rapa on Saturday.
Simply nothing went right for the Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman-trained 5yr-old in four starts which were meant to have set her on a path towards the Caulfield Cup.
Things got off on a poor note when Lizzie L’Amour was found to have suffered atrial fibrillation — a heart rhythm disorder — in her first spring start at Moonee Valley.
Inexplicably poor subsequent performances forced her trainers to bring her home after failures in the Cranbourne and Geelong Cups "In Australia she didn’t exhibit this sort of form and I don’t know why — she’s not called Dizzy Lizzie for nothing," Baker said.
"She had been working well, though."
Despite her wayward spring campaign, Baker had not lost faith in his mare who was ridden to victory in the fillies and mares’ weight-for-age Cal Isuzu Stakes on Saturday by Matt Cameron.
"She’s obviously a very good mare when she’s right and it was a good ride from Matt. He got his tactics right," Baker said.
Baker and Forsman trained the trifecta in this year’s group 2 1600m feature, a race in which they have an outstanding record.
They also won it with Diademe (2013), Sports Illustrated (2014) and Coldplay (2016), and Baker was training on his own account when he won it with Lady Kipling in 2011. Lizzie L’Amour was chased home by her stablemates, Love Affair and Stolen Dance.
"It’s very satisfying and a big surprise. I thought Love Affair would be very hard to beat. She’s a very good horse and her turn will come," Baker said of his stable’s trifecta.
Lizzie L’Amour has the defence of her group 1 Zabeel Classic crown at Ellerslie on Boxing Day next on her agenda. She and Saturday’s Waikato Cup winner, Five To Midnight, hold nominations for the Auckland Cup in March. Five To Midnight, trained by Lisa Latta, was fifth in the 3200m race last year. His preparation looked spot on when he improved on his last start-second in the Counties Cup to win Saturday’s 2400m feature.
"The horse had done really well since Pukekohe. I couldn’t have been happier with him, and I would have been disappointed if he wasn’t right in this," Latta said.
Five To Midnight was aided by a perfect Leith Innes ride. They trailed the leader, Meeska Mooska, before launching their winning run wide in the straight.
"He got the gun run and Leith peeled out turning in and the horse won nicely," Latta said.
"We’ll probably look at the Avondale Cup at Ellerslie on Boxing Day and then work our way to the Auckland Cup."
— additional reporting NZ Racing Desk
