Ladies In Red headlines huge Queensland raid

Champion harness racing mare Ladies In Red (Mach Three) is set to race on until the Queensland Constellations.

The millionaire mare will headline a powerhouse team Emma Stewart and Clayton Tonkin plan to campaign across several weeks at Albion Park in July.

Owners Bill and Anne Anderson indicated the $150,000 Group 1 Golden Girl at Albion Park on July 20 could be Ladies In Red’s final race.

Ladies In Red suffered a rare defeat when a close second to the untapped Aardies Express in the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Mile at Menangle last Saturday night.

“She’s come through it well,” Stewart said. “She was probably just a run short. As she’s got older, she’s taken a bit more racing to get to her absolute top.

“We’ll chat with Bill and Anne (Anderson), but if they’re keen, she’s one of a few we’ll take to Brisbane.”

Joining her will be unbeaten three-year-old filly Very Pretty, a stunning winner of last Saturday night’s Group 1 NSW Oaks,

“She did that easily and is a filly show should just keep improving,” Stewart said.

Stewart and Tonkin have a huge opinion of their two-year-old crop, headed by last-start Nutrien final winner The Highlight Reel, a brilliant son of first season sire Poster Boy.

The Highlight Reel has already snared the Jamie Durberger-Smith slot in the inaugural $500,000 Protostar at Albion Park on July 27.

Such is the depth of Stewart and Tonkin’s juvenile crop, it will be a surprise if they don’t get multiple runners in the Protostar.

Star four-year-old The Lost Storm is raring to go with the $350,000 Group 1 Rising Sun his main target.

“Finding races for him hasn’t been easy,” Stewart said. “He’ll go up for the Rising Sun and then we’ll set him for the TAB Eureka.”

NSW Derby runner-up and recent Nutrien winner Bay Of Biscay is also expected to fly the stable flag in the Queensland Derby.

“We’ve also got our fast-class horses like Mach Dan and Honolua Bay not too far away. They could go to Brisbane as well if we’re happy with them at the time,” Stewart said.

Honolua Bay, a winner of 22 of his 37 starts including the 2023 Hunter Cup, has not raced since finishing third in the Miracle Mile on March 4, 2023.

The brilliant pacer has been troubled by ongoing hoof issues.

“He seems as good as has for a long time and isn’t far off a trial,” Stewart said. “We’ll give him this last one chance to get back to the races.”

by Adam Hamilton, for Harness Racing Australia