By Duane Ranger
The multiple Group One winning mare Lauraella is about to give her Waikato owner/breeders a month to remember.
The 11-year-old, who was bred by Sandy and Jan Yarndley, is about to leave her third foal – any day this month.
Her second foal, and first filly – Christanna qualified 3.2 seconds under the required time (mile rate 2:05.5) at Alexandra Park last Friday night. The 3-year-old daughter of Rocknroll Hanover went into that 2200m mobile with two Workouts wins from as many races this campaign.
“She’s a nice big filly and obviously well-bred but she hasn’t even been to the races yet. We are not getting too carried away. She would have raced last season but she did a fetlock in a workout and Geoff (Small) had to turn her out for three or four months.
“She’s been back in work since the Jewels. She looks the part and has a lovely gait but I’m never one to get too far ahead of myself,” Yarndley said.
Christanna is owned by the Hardwood Syndicate, which also comprises Max and Judy Hunter.
Christanna paced Friday’s Workout in 2;51.6 with final 800m and 400m sprints of 58.8 and 28.8. She beat the Brian Hughes trained and Maurice McKendry driven Kaitlyn by a nose.
Yarndley said he kept Christanna to breed from, but added that he and his wife did put her first foal – Express Stride (1.58.1 – NZ and 1.54.2 – Australia) through the Sales ring.
That son of Bettor’s Delight fetched a Sales topping $210,000 at the 2013 Australasian Yearling Sales at Karaka. He has since won five of his 16 starts and placed in nine others for Ardmore maestro, Tony Herlihy (MNZM).
Express Stride was exported to his owner Emilio Rosati in Australia last December, the winner of $147,890. He has since bled since crossing the Tasman.
“He was shaping up to be a nice horse. He had a lot of his mother’s traits. Hopefully his sister can match or even better those achievements, but they have both got some way to go to catch up with what they mother did on the racetrack,” Te Awamutu-based Yarndley said.
“She’s done it on the racetrack but still has to prove her worth in the breeding paddock,” he added.
From February 2008 until January 2010, Lauraella won 10 of her 25 starts and placed seven other times in New Zealand for $649,946 in stakes.
Her biggest wins came via the Group One 2008 Harness Jewels Ruby Final; the Group One 2009 Northern Oaks; the 2009 Nevele R 3YO Sires Stakes Final; and of course the prestigious Group One 2009 New Zealand Oaks.
She also won the Group Two 2008 Ladyship Stakes at Alexandra Park and landed her biggest payday in the $200,000 Listed PGG Wrightson Yearling Sales Fillies Pace, also at Alexandra Park on January 31, 2009.
Lauraella is in foal to Bettor’s Delight after missing to Rocknroll Hanover in 2014 and then losing her Bettor’s Delight foal last year.
She was served by him on October 11 last year.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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