Rangiora double for Lazarus, Court & Orange

Double Time may have won the feature at Sunday afternoon’s North Canterbury harness racing meeting, taking out the Rangiora Classic on the grass. But it was also a case of ‘double time’ for Graeme Court, Blair Orange and dual hemisphere stallion, Lazarus.

The Pinelea Farm trained duo of Lazarus progeny, Jena & Quicker Than Quick, were successful in their respective events taking out the first two pacing races on the ten race programme.

Heading into Sunday’s meeting, four-year-old mare, Jena, had proven herself to be a modicum of consistency with four placings and a fourth placed finish from five starts in the 2025 season.

The maiden success was within striking distance, and with the countries leading reinsman in the sulky,  the pair set about kicking the door down in emphatic style.

Taken straight to the front from barrier six, Jena and ‘The Postman’ received little favours from Sam Thornley and the Ken Barron trained, Melton Enforcer, with the latter dishing it up for a prolonged attack on the leader.

Entering the run home, Jena looked to be a sitting duck having been softened up for the best part of 1000 metres, but like we saw from her champion sire Lazarus time and time again, the bonny mare showed plenty of resolve to hold out the challengers in the run home for a tough half length maiden victory.

“Yeah, she’s a nice little mare, goes well. The owner bought her for next to nothing because there was something wrong with her. We initially got her as a broodmare, but I thought, why not give her a shot as a racehorse? That’s how it came about,” said Court.

“Greg Payne had her as a two-year-old, won a heat with her, and got her qualified, but then she went amiss. Apparently, she had some issues, but I don’t know exactly what. Whatever was wrong with her must have come right because she’s been racing well.

“I think she’s good enough to win another race or two, but she’s running out of time since I’ve put her in foal to Terror To Love,” he said.

Jena is the thirteenth of fourteen foals from the now deceased Live Or Die mare, Unrehearsed, a winner of the defunct PGGW Southern Graduette in her first start, and a filly who competed against the best in her sex at two and three.

She struck gold in the broodmare paddock with her first foal being the G1 winning $465,000 earner, Lizzie Maguire (Christian Cullen), and has since produced nine other winners including Sunday’s maiden breakthrough of Jena.

JENA REPLAY

Four-year-old gelding, Quicker Than Quick, didn’t quite have the form of his stablemate as he ventured to Rangiora for his 16th attempt at clearing maidens, but anyone who had watched the son of Lazarus closely knew there was a motor under the bonnet that merely needed some fine tuning.

Orange had him away cleanly from the barrier tapes in the fourth on the programme, and in a repeat of the previous result, sent the big striding pacer forward in search of the lead. Once in command, the pair assumed control and steadied the field for the run home, fending off the challenge of the race favourite, Treasure Cove (Captaintreacherous), and a late dash from the trailing Ambleside Drive (Auckland Reactor) for victory by a neck.

“Oh yeah, he’s got some ability, but he’s been a real pain in the neck. The way he works sometimes, he gives you the feel that he’s good enough to win three or four races, but lately, he’s gone the other way. Things haven’t always gone his way on race day, and he’s had a bit of bad luck a few times. Sometimes he’s just been disappointing,” said Court.

“He’s a great standing-start horse, steps away well, so I’d rather keep him in stands rather than mobiles at this stage. But whether there are many stand races available is another thing—you never know. Addington doesn’t have many. He can stay, and he’s got a bit of high speed, not blistering, but he can finish off a good quarter. He’s no freak, but if he keeps improving the way he is now, he should win his share of races this season.”

QUICKER THAN QUICK REPLAY

Quicker Than Quick is out of the handy five win mare, Beyond Belief, who Court trained in partnership with his son, Paul, for the majority of her race career. Sunday’s maiden breakthrough was the second individual winner for her as a broodmare, with Court having the added distinction of being the winning breeder as well as trainer.

As for the winning double by Lazarus, the Rangiora double see’s him with five individual winners this season and eight now in total in his young career to date in New Zealand. So far Lazarus has been entirely reliant on his debut crop of just eighteen (now) four-year-olds, sixteen of whom have qualified with fifteen to the races.

With no three-year-old crop to speak of, the next wave of Lazarus progeny are on their way to help turn the tide with three of his 57 juveniles having already got their race day ticket and the promise of plenty more based off of the accounts of some good judges of horse flesh.

Court knows full well about the trials and tribulations of standing a colonial sire such as Lazarus’ having stood another New Zealand Cup legend in Terror To Love at his West Melton property for several seasons without much uptake. Court estimates his former champion to have only served a dozen or so mares in his tenth season at stud which is a real shame when you consider his accomplishments on the track and having proven himself capable of leaving smart Open Class pacers such Terry & Smiffys Terror.

Court unfurled Terror To Love’s 53rd individual New Zealand winner a little over a week ago with the debut success of Hilarious Guest, a grandson of seven time G1 winning champion filly and race mare, Hilarious Guest. The three-year-old gelding is one of four individual winners for Court this season, who after a couple of quiet seasons for various reasons is on track to easily eclipse the seven wins from last year.

The expert conditioner has a few young ones coming through that have been impressing him at home and off the property.

“I’ve got a couple of young ones coming through, including a Poster Boy colt who is a half to Quicker Than Quick—he goes nicely. He won his qualifying trial at the start of February and I have a bit of time for him.

“There’s also a two-year-old by Downbytheseaside who goes well called Nostoppinlounow, and I have nominated her for the G3 at Northern Southland on Saturday. But whether that holds up with just five nominations is another story. It’s a $40,000 race, and I can’t figure out where all the two-year-olds are. There are heaps at the trials, but no one wants to line up. It’s crazy—there’s good money up for grabs, but no one wants to have a go,” Court lamented.

For complete Rangiora results, click here.

by Brad Reid, for Harnesslink