A John Dunn special wins Lazarus Stakes

After a tactically savvy drive by John Dunn, Harrison John (Always B Miki) proved he’s going to be a contender in the big three year old harness racing features after destroying a classy lineup in the $25,000 Lazarus Three Year Old Stakes at Addington tonight.

When favourite We Walk By Faith led, Dunn ventured forward to sit parked and when Justcallmemiki came calling, Dunn held his ground and kept the pressure on the leader. That was the winning of the race.

Harrison John’s winning margin was a length and a half with Renegade charging home late for second.

The winning time was 2-23.8.

“This guy stepped up this time in. He’s getting stronger. He’ll race in two weeks time in the Flying Stakes,” Dunn told Nigel Armstrong from Harness Racing Unhinged.

HARRISON JOHN REPLAY

Trained by Robert and Jenna Dunn, the win was Harrison Ford’s fifth in just fourteen starts. His last four wins have been in a row.

The race salutes Lazarus who was one of this country’s very best three year olds. He was unbeaten as a three year old, winning the G1 Sires’ Stakes Final, G2 Alabar Classic, Listed NZ Yearling Sales Series Final, G1 Northern Derby, G2 Flying Stakes and the G1 New Zealand Derby. He also won a heat and final of the Victoria Derby.

Meanwhile the Mark and Nathan Purdon trained Demon Blue (Art Major) who’s done most of his racing in the North Island, won his first race in the south when he took out the Registered Master Joiners Two Year Old Mobile Pace.

Driver Blair Orange watched all the early speed from a midfield slot before he set the gelding forward with lightning speed to take the lead inside the last 800 metres.

“They ran hard early and bumped it up at the winning post so I thought I’d hit them with a bit of speed. It was a really good effort to sustain that run from a long way out,” Orange told Nigel Armstrong from Harness Racing Unhinged.

DEMON BLUE REPLAY

The winning margin was seven and a half lengths with Irish Dream running second.

The 1980 metres was cut out in 2-23.3 with the last 800 metres run in 56.2.

Demon Blue’s second dam is broodmare gem Fleet’s Pocket whose foals have collectively won more than one hundred and thirty races.

Her biggest winners have been Flying Pocketlands, the winner of twenty one races and $442,423, Mighty Flying Thomas, twenty four wins and $352,622, Mighty Flying Deal, twenty one wins and $241,070 and Mighty Flying Art, eighteen wins and $212,400.

For complete race results, click here.

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink