The Lazarus Effect smashes them in Classic

The Lazarus Effect (Lazarus) showed once again how good he is when he demolished a tidy field in the $50,000 Listed NZB Standardbred Yearling Sales Age Group Classic at Kaikoura today.

After beginning well, trainer driver Bob Butt took the four year old straight to the top and he didn’t allow any possible challengers to get close. He won by seven lengths from Double Jeopardy with Dreams Are Free finishing third a neck back.

“We took luck out of it,” Butt said.

THE LAZARUS EFFECT REPLAY

The winning time of 2-55.7 smashed the previous record of 2-57.3 set by 2016 winner Moonrock.

The last 800 metres was run in 56.2 and 400 27.7 and Butt still had at least two gears to change up to.

The win was the four year old’s sixth in just nine starts.

“He’s come back real good this time in. He’s a sound happy horse so it’s onwards and upwards hopefully.”

The Lazarus Effect was purchased at the 2022 NZB Standardbred Yearling Sales in Christchurch for $57,500 by Alabar New Zealand Limited and syndicated. He’s raced by the Alabar Racing Syndicate 2022.

“It’s great for the syndicate. They’re a great bunch of guys. I’m rapt for the horse who’s had a few issues. He had niggles when he was growing up and that’s why we started on him late. He seems all over them now. Yeah, he’s a good horse.”

The Lazarus Effect’s father Lazarus won on this race day in 2017, winning the Kaikoura Cup in race record time.

The horse’s second dam Meet Me In Mayfair, won five races and left the ill-fated The Dorchester which won five of his seven races and holds a New Zealand 2400 metre mobile record of 2-52.5.

Butt thinks the highly talented pacer is likely to miss Cup Week with The $125,000 Christian Cullen on November 21^st his next target.

For complete race results, click here.

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink