AMANDA RANDO | @Amanda_Rando
AS veteran Wagga Wagga breeder Bernie Kelly looks across his paddock and watches the mare Frith as she grazes he naturally reflects on all her great wins.
Frith gave Kelly and his wife Dianne many memorable moments during her racing career and now they are hoping the seven-year-old mare can continue this success in the breeding barn.
“She is certainly the best horse we’ve bred,” Kelly said.
“We’ve had some good ones over the years but she has won the most money.
“She had some sensational wins but her win in the Oaks over in Western Australia was very good.
“They took her on early and then another horse tried to take her on late but she was just too good for them.”
That was Frith’s third Group 1 win and the daughter of Four Starzzz Shark had plenty more to come.
Upon retiring this week, Frith won eight Group 1 races.
She leaves the racetrack with a record of 39 wins and 14 placings in 63 starts.
Remarkably only finishing unplaced 10 times in her career, Frith pocketed $1,180,345 in prizemoney since beginning her racing career as a two-year-old in 2012.
And in the standardbred world this has made her the second richest Australian bred mare in history and the fourth richest mare of all time across Australasia.*
However, the curtain closed on this type of success for Frith last Monday.
“She had a bit of soreness in her leg and we didn’t want anything to happen to her in a race, we wanted her to retire sound so we decided to pull the pin on her racing career,” Kelly said.
“She arrived at our property on Monday and has been out in the paddock since.
“We considered putting her in foal this season but things didn’t work out as we planned and we decided to give her another go at racing.
“We had a service to Captaintreachourous ready to go and that’s still there so I guess he will be the sire we put her in foal to next time.
“She should make a lovely broodmare, well I’m hoping she does as I’m not getting any younger, I’ll be 80 in June.”
Ironically just as Frith hangs up the hopples her full-sister, two-year-old Molly Kelly, won on debut at Wagga last Friday.
Frith’s Group 1 victories were the Bathurst Gold Tiara, the Victoria Oaks, the WA Oaks, the Breeders Challenge Final as a three and four-year-old as well as the Breeders Crown at the age of three and then at the age of four. Frith’s last Group 1 win was in the 2016 Ladyship Mile.
Thanks for the memories Frith.
*Facts sourced from the Harness Racing Australia All Time Richest Stakes Winners
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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