Champion Love You mare Queen Elida, the reigning Australian Trotting Mare of the Year, bounced back into the harness racing winning list in the Group 3 $30,000 La Coocaracha Free-for-all at Melton on Saturday night (March 11).
After settling near last, the five-year-old looped the field with a dazzling display to score effortlessly by 7.4 metres. She clocked 56.8 seconds for the last 800 metres in the middle of the track!
The Queen was in a class of her own, winning the second leg of the Kerryn Manning Trotting Mares Triple Crown at Melton.
For Brent Lilley and Chris Alford, Queen Elida recorded her first win this year in the Aldebaran Park La Coocaracha Trotters FFA. pic.twitter.com/G8LdIuXl4dā The Trots (@TheTrotsComAu) March 11, 2023
Electrojet (by Quaker Jet) finished second to give Haras Des Trotteursā sires the quinella in the Group 3.
It was Queen Elidaās 19th success from 36 starts and her ninth at Group level and lifted her stake tally to almost $370,000.
Queen Elida was one of three winners sired by Love You already this month. Love Gun won his seventh race at Cranbourne, while High On Love notched her third success at her first 16 start for over 16 months at Auckland.
Gunner, a gelding by Love Youās greatest son Quaker Jet, and one of his first crop, made it two-for-two this season with a 1:58.5 effort at Menangle. He has now won eight races and $67,637 in stakes.
The Haras Des Trotteursā stallions Orlando Vici (2nd), Love You (4th) and Quaker Jet (5th) are riding high on this seasonās Australian trotting sire premiership, while Love You is in second position on the New Zealand table.
By Peter Wharton for Harnesslink