Impressive Cup Day winner to miss some time

For stallions in harness racing, timing can play a huge factor in shaping one’s career.

The New Zealand Cup Day romp by the Bob Butt trained The Lazarus Effect (Lazarus), who easily dispatched a quality and capacity field to remain unbeaten in two lifetime starts, was just that.

A timely reminder at the halfway point of the breeding season of the quality our greatest pacing product since Christian Cullen can produce from limited Southern Hemisphere opportunities.

In many ways, the three-year-old gelding’s fledgling career to date mimics that of his sire at stud.

For starters, it was just about over before it began. The trials and tribulations of The Lazarus Effect in the early stages of his career are well known with injuries almost forcing the gorgeous looking pacer to retirement before it even began.

The problematic Southern Hemisphere beginnings for Lazarus are also well known, with just 18 live foals from his first crop an obvious indication that the two time New Zealand Cup winning champion didn’t begin his stallion career as one would hope in these corners.

Despite the humble beginnings which have since ironed themselves out with the change of scenery, the champion son of Bettor’s Delight has produced 15 qualifiers (83%) from his debut crop of 18 with 14 of them having had official race day starts.

With four winners among them, the connections of any burgeoning sire would be licking their chops at the prospects of having produced pacers of the obvious quality of The Lazarus Effect, and also his best performed son to date, Jeremiah. Particularly from a crop of just 18.

THE LAZARUS EFFECT REPLAY

With that said, the fortunes of the former have taken a hit with Bob Butt confirming to Harnesslink The Lazarus Effect will miss some time, but allayed any fears that the injury was a serious one.

“He hasn’t broken down mate, just bone bruising which we need to let settle down. He will come back 100%,” he said.

That will be music to the ears of the Alabar 2022 syndicate who have been ever so patient with The Lazarus Effect, who on the surface of his four and a half length Cup Day romp, has untapped potential. The prognosis means we should see him realise it.

The good news for Lazarus backers is that they wont have to wait nearly as long to see the return of Jeremiah.

The Barry Purdon and Scott Phelan trained three-year-old was terrific in the inaugural $500,000 Velocity.

After being beaten for early speed and restrained to near last, the winner of five of his 13 lifetime starts put in a cracking performance to narrowly miss a placing.

Jeremiah wasn’t really suited by the sit and sprint nature of the half million dollar Show Day feature, with the 2600m staying test of the New Zealand Derby on the 6th of December looking like a great opportunity to show the tenacity that has seen him fighting out the finishes of many high calibre races to date.

by Brad Reid, for Harnesslink