Lilly Laguna’s Cup win stuns punters and connections

Lilly Laguna won the Affco NZ Waipukurau Cup at odds of 40 to one. She had not raced for two months and had missed some valuable work after suffering a stone bruise. Her trainer John Bary was expecting her to be outpaced early. Lilly Lagunas' owners are ecstatic that they have won their hometown Cup. The mare has won four races from only 15 starts. Baries is aiming her for the Listed $65,000 Wanganui Cup on November 26. The connections would like to get some back type next to her name to boost her future value as a broodmare.

Podium won a Rating 65 race at last Sunday's Waipukurau meeting at Hastings. The Stoney One finished second. Podium is owned by her breeders, Waikato Stud, and is by their resident sire Ocean Park out of the Australian-bred mare Quest For Quality. The mares were resuming from lengthy spells. She won her debut by 2-3/4 lengths over 1200m at Wanganui back in April. Her second start was at Rotorua and she was unimpressed.

The Belvoir won a maiden race over 1600m at Waipukurau meeting at Hastings. The horse is owned and trained by Dannevirke's Barry Beatson. Be Watson paid $6000 for the horse at the 2018 Karaka yearling sales. The BelVoir is by the now deceased Australian-based sire Poet’s Voice out of the unraced Alamosa mare Almasa.

Lily Sutherland won the final event at the New Zealand Cup meeting at Riccarton last Monday. It was her third success in the space of seven days. She is starting to become a last race specialist. Sutherland is in for another busy weekend, competing at yesterday's New Plymouth meeting and riding at Awapuni today. On Friday she will have an enforced layoff, after she was suspended for excessive use of the whip.

Winning treble for Ormsby. Illicit Miss won a $60,000 race at Riccarton last Monday. Orm's also owns Campionessa, who won the Metropolitan Trophy at the Ric Carton on November 5. Sky On Fire won Listed $80,00 Welcome Stakes on the middle day of the carnival.