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2017 Cal Isuzu Stakes Group 2 December 16 - Te Rapa

3 minute read

Lizzie L'Amour wins 2017 Cal Isuzu Stakes Group 2 NZ$100,000 at Te Rapa (NZ), 1600m.

Lizzie L'amour winning the Cal Isuzu Stakes
Lizzie L'amour winning the Cal Isuzu Stakes Picture: Trish Dunell

The Murray Baker/Andrew Forsman stable completely dominated here, pulling off a training trifecta headed by fresh-up former Group One winner Lizzie L'Amour, scoring win six from 16 starts. She jumped well but was headed after 200m to sit outside the leader.

Under Matt Cameron, she was never more than threequarters of a length back around the bend. Into the home straight, Cameron allowed her plenty of time to balance before asking her to go at the 250m, range up and take over at the 150m then hold on well by a half length at the wire.

Favourite Love Affair was second last at the 600m, pulled out to be widest turning in and kept up a strong run the length of the straight for a good second.

Stolen Dance led after 200m and kept them honest deep into the straight and never lay down to the post for a solid third. Devise did well to hold fourth after being three wide all the way


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Te Rapa

Saturday, 16th December 2017

6
15:12
(local)

Cal Isuzu Stakes (G2)

Sex: FM Type: OPEN
NZD $100,000
1600m TURF GOOD
6
15:12
(local)
NZD $100,000
1600m GOOD

Cal Isuzu Stakes (G2)

Sex: FM Type: OPEN

This G2 mile for fillies and mares only was run on an absurdly biased Te Rapa track that penalized backrunners all day. In the nine race card four leaders won, one winner sat outside the leader, two winners trailed the leaders and two came from fifth turning for home and not that far at all from the leaders. This female feature saw the return of form by Lizzie L’Amour now back in New Zealand after being luckless a couple of times in Australia over the Spring then she got demolished twice more after that. The 5yo mare sat outside the pace that was nothing too strenuous and slowly but surely edged her way into the lead inside the final 100m to score by half a length in 1:34.32. It was her sixth win in sixteen starts and her first at the mile. She is a win or nowhere type it seems with more completely out of the money efforts than wins so mood matters with this mare. A Benchmark85 mile held two races prior ran 1:34.14 and the winner was one of two all day that came from fifth turning for home, so the mare also in Symphonic was about a length superior. Love Affair the hot favourite was a stupendous second and a victim of the terrible Te Rapa track bias when unleashing a big finish from second last on settling plus she came the widest the run home in lanes that no other runners would dare to try and quicken on. Love Affair was the only runner in the race to break 34 seconds for the last 600m in the field and in fact shattered it by running 33.41 and to give that some perspective the winner clocked 34.09. She ran over four lengths faster the final 600m after coming wide and still got beaten half a length, which screams absurd track bias. Love Affair is in the same stable as the winner and her victorious rider last start actually rode Lizzie L’Amour today, who also had another rider booked but he cried off with illness so someone else rode her that unfortunately had never been on her before. The gods conspired it seemed against this 4yo mare it with upside galore and she is a G1 winner in waiting if she stays healthy and can get a regular rider atop that knows her sublime scope. The stable of Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman notably prepared the trifecta when Stolen Dance finished third after leading up and she was just a neck from second at the line. Devise was an uber-courageous fourth after being trapped wide fifth then fourth and moved up third turning for home, She dug deep and will be a welcome to addition to strengthen up the WFA depth versus all comers should they go there, as it has been very weak for a while now. She was second last season the G1 NZ Oaks (2400m) behind Bonneval (triple G1 winner since and two of them came in Australia), so just maybe across the line today were in fact the best four mares. Asama Blue was rising multiple grades in this but still able to finish fifth beaten less than two and a half lengths, so a commendable effort indeed but track bias clearly played a role as she trailed the leaders throughout. Rising Shot ran a useful sixth and is ready to pay a dividend next time out. The next three home were outclassed and the last runner home Let Her Rip sadly bled and is banned for three months. This was a decent depth race and will be the source of many winners at all grades this season and likely into next as well. They only had three runners in this but the Baker/Forsman yard got the trifecta and have three mares that can be set for differing Group races and plunder both stakes and blacktype for the rest of this season. Lizzie L’Amour is a G1 winner at WFA versus all comers over 2000m and Stolen Dance has run three seconds at G1 (at WFA versus all comers twice and once at Handicap level), so this just confirms that Love Affair could be the best mare in New Zealand right now on upside with it all certainly ahead to come.



FP Horse, Age & Sex
Sire & Dam
Jockey
Trainer
SP
WT
1st 1. LIZZIE L'AMOUR (NZ) 5yo M
ZABEEL (NZ) - SABIA (FR)
MATTHEW CAMERON
MURRAY BAKER & ANDREW FORSMAN
$8.7
57kg
G J & Mrs L M Moore
2nd 7. LOVE AFFAIR (NZ) 4yo M
SAVABEEL (AUS) - ROMANCING (NZ)
PATRICK MOLONEY
MURRAY BAKER & ANDREW FORSMAN
$2.2
57kg
G J Chittick
3rd 2. STOLEN DANCE (NZ) 6yo M
ALAMOSA (NZ) - SONGBIRD (NZ)
DANIELLE JOHNSON
MURRAY BAKER & ANDREW FORSMAN
$5.4
57kg
G A Shand
4th 5. DEVISE (NZ) 4yo M
DARCI BRAHMA (NZ) - DONEZE GIRL (NZ)
MICHAEL COLEMAN
SHAUNE RITCHIE
$6.2
57kg

Sales Information

5th 10. ASAMA BLUE (IRE) 4yo F
FASTNET ROCK (AUS) - BUTTERFLY BLUE (IRE)
ALYSHA COLLETT
STEVEN RAMSAY & JULIA RITCHIE
$15.9
57kg
6th 6. RISING SHOT (NZ) 5yo M
RED GIANT (USA) - DERRYDANE (NZ)
MARK DU PLESSIS
DAVID GREENE
$15.4
57kg

Sales Information

7th 9. THE KIPLING GIRL (AUS) 5yo M
HIGH CHAPARRAL (IRE) - MRS KIPLING (AUS)
SAMANTHA COLLETT
SCOTT WENN
$26.9
57kg

Sales Information

8th 8. PETITE EN JEU (NZ) 5yo M
METTRE EN JEU (NZ) - QUALITY EYES (AUS)
LEAH HEMI
NIGEL AURET
$32.2
57kg
9th 3. ENDEAN ROSE (NZ) 7yo M
SAVABEEL (AUS) - PRETORIA (NZ)
CAMERON LAMMAS
IAIN KENNEDY
$25.6
57kg

Sales Information

10th 4. LET HER RIP (NZ) 5yo M
RIP VAN WINKLE (IRE) - KEEPER SPECIAL (NZ)
CHRIS JOHNSON
SHAUNE RITCHIE
$24.9
57kg

Sales Information

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