Liaison continues rich vein of form

In-form trotter Liaison (Love You) continued his rich vein of harness racing form at Alexandra Park on Friday night (Jul. 29) when taking out the Alabar North Island Winter Rewards Handicap Trot (2700m).

It was the Dave and Clare McGowan-trained gelding’s third consecutive win and he did it in his customary front-running style.

“He is awesome to drive when he is up front, he just keeps an eye on all of the other horses and he just keeps that distance in front. He is just an awesome little horse,” said Clare McGowan, who also bred the son of Love You.

“He is really enjoying life. It is a pretty cool family – once you get them right mentally, they will try their heart out for you.”

McGowan has enjoyed having the five-year-old back in her care, having sold him as a yearling to owner Lew Driver, who trained him for a period before he entered the care of Brent Mangos and subsequently returned the McGowans.

“The mare (Be Seein Ya) has always been one of my favourites. She had some body problems so we retired her,” McGowan said.

“He (Liaison) was her first foal and he was so small, so we called him Mighty Mouse right from the word go. His stable name is Leo because he has the heart of a lion.

“He was a fun horse to put through the sales, so to get him back is a bonus.”

LIAISON REPLAY

McGowan has his siblings to look forward to in the coming seasons, including a two-year-old full-sister called I’ll Call You and a yearling weanling half-brother by En Solitaire called Runaway.

“The family just takes a bit of time. They are all nice horses and the breed is getting better and better,” McGowan said.

“They have always had the ability, their brains have just let them down, which has meant they aren’t really anything until four.”

McGowan is also expecting a welcome surprise in the spring with the arrival of another foal out of Be Seein Ya by Muscle M Up.

“My husband did that without me knowing, we weren’t going to be breeding after COVID,” McGowan said.

“There are three coming apparently, so they are going to be called Clare Didn’t Know, Don’t Tell Clare, and I don’t know what to call the other one.”

The McGowans breeding endeavours will represent a strong majority of the Trump Bloodstock stallion’s first New Zealand crop, with the son of Muscle Hill serving five mares in his debut season.

Meanwhile, McGowan is hoping Liaison’s purple patch of form continues for some time.

“He was up for sale but he wasn’t sold, so Lew is quite happy to just keep racing him until he tells us he has had enough, but at the moment he is absolutely loving it,” McGowan said.

For complete race results, click here.

by Joshua Smith, for Harness News Desk