Harness Racing Waikato has received the best possible Christmas and New Year’s present.
New Zealand ‘pacing’s pin-up boy’ – Lazarus is coming to Cambridge Raceway on January 6 to compete in the Group Two $60,000 Waikato Flying Mile.
Co-trainer and driver Mark Purdon confirmed his nomination with HRW staff yesterday afternoon (Thursday).
The winner of 19 of his 22 starts (placed in other three) and $1.49m in stakes, will have his first race back in the mobile mile (1609m) event since winning the coveted New Zealand Cup at Addington Raceway on November 8.
Harness Racing Waikato’s Business Development Manager, David Branch was almost doing handstands and termed the news is as big as when Christian Cullen (Danny Campbell), Auckland Reactor (Purdon), and Adore Me (Purdon) lined up in the HRW’s most prestigious pacing event back 1999, 2009, and 2015 respectively.
Adore Me set the race and track record of 1:51.69 when she won.
Lazarus will by-pass the Group One $250,000 Auckland Cup on December 31 in favour of Cambridge.
Thereafter the 4-year-old son of Bettor’s Delight will then embark on an Australian campaign which includes the Group Two $50,000 Hondo Grattan at Tabcorp Park Menangle on January 21; the Group One $400,000 Victoria Cup at Melton's Tabcorp Park on January 28; and the Group One $200,000 (4YO) Chariots of Fire at at Tabcorp Park Menangle on February 11.
"We are really excited to hear Lazarus is coming to our meeting. Cambridge loves a champion and I'm sure the community will get involved. Hopefully we can attract the same big crowds that Christian Cullen, Auckland Reactor, and Adore Me brought us," Branch said.
Lazarus’s co-owner Trevor Casey said his co-owners wanted to give the club the opportunity to promote 'Laz' coming to their Raceway.
“The Cambridge Club has always looked after me and I’m just so happy to support them. 'Barney' (Waikiki Beach) will also be in Cambridge at that time as well, but will not race.
"Maybe we could get him on-course too," Christchurch-based Casey said.
Waikiki Beach has won 23 of his 24 starts and ran second in the other. He has banked $846,720. Casey co-owns him with Mrs C M Rasmussen.
Casey co-owns Lazarus with Phil & Glenys Kennard and Kevin Risely.
“It would be so good if there was a big crowd to come and see him. We are working on an ‘owner-for-the-day promotion’ with him.
“We just think it would be good to give the harness community a chance to see a champion,” Casey said.
Branch said his Club would be getting behind the champion and doing all they could to get a big crowd for January 6.
“This is big news. Lazarus and Monbet are our harness racing stars at the moment and it’s only right that as many Waikato locals and other visitors get to see him close up,” Branch said.
“This is a great chance for us to capitalise,” he added.
Lazarus has won eight Group One events and four Group Twos. An amazing feat considering he only started racing 22 starts ago on December 19, 2014 with a half-length win on debut at Alexandra Park.
Duane Ranger