By Craig Kerry
After some tough early years in the racing game, B2B Thoroughbreds’ Surace family have been enjoying the ride with recent stakes winners Generosity and Hidrix.
The “all-time dream”, though, remains a group 1 win for their colours, a feat they believe Lazzura can deliver on Saturday at Rosehill in the Coolmore Classic.
Lazzura finishing second to Cinsault, left, in the Millie Fox Stakes on February 21 at Rosehill.Credit: Getty Images
And if she doesn’t, the Suraces’ have faith Hidrix can challenge in the $5 million Golden Slipper the following week.
Chris Waller-trained Lazzura was a $4.40 TAB favourite from gate eight on Thursday in an open edition of the 1500m fillies and mares quality, with top jockey James McDonald to ride. McDonald took Generosity, which will be offered at the Inglis Chairman’s Sale in May, to victory for the Suraces last Saturday at Randwick in the group 2 Challenge Stakes as part of his six winners on the program.
He was aboard Lazzura when she was a beaten favourite in the group 2 Millie Fox Stakes at 1300m three weeks ago, after Cinsault fought back to edge her out.
The Coolmore, though, was the target for Lazzura, a $500,000 daughter of Snitzel with listed, group 3 and group 2 wins on the way to earning just over $1 million.
Riccardo Surace jnr and snr, left and right respectively, talk to trainer Chris Waller and jockey James McDonald after Generosity’s Challenge Stakes win last Saturday.Credit: Getty Images
Third in the Surround Stakes last year is her best group 1 result, but the Suraces believe that can change on Saturday.
“She never runs a bad race, she’s probably the perfect racehorse in that sense,” Riccardo Surace jnr said.
“She always tries her hardest and she’s a very, very good horse, but I think she’s only getting better.
“She’s come back a big, strong mare now, hence why she probably needed that run first up. Just with that 58 kilos, and it was a very sticky track, so we had a lot against us against race-fit mares and it just told that last 200m, but she bounced out of it and she’s really tightened up. They gave her a nice tick-over trial the other day, and James was rapt.
“This is going to be her best chance to win a group 1. It’s a strong field, but hopefully she can get a bit of luck and be competitive again.”
Lazzura won the group 2 Phar Lap Stakes (1500m) for three-year-olds on the same program last year. This year the Suraces have Waller-trained Panova racing. She was seventh lengths off Tempted and Savvy Hallie in the Surround Stakes (1400m) and was $7 to win the step back in class from gate 12 with Tommy Berry aboard.
The Suraces were looking to longer targets with the two-time group 3 winner, a $325,000 buy.
“She was coming back off a little bit of a setback, so she was extremely heavy and needed that run, and she probably will need another run,” Surace jnr said.
“I think she’ll run well on the weekend, but if you compare her to a horse like Sixties that’s already up and hard fit, he will certainly have that on his side.
“But she’s a very good horse and when she’s fit, she would certainly be one of the better three-year-olds around. She’ll run this weekend and then she’ll head towards the Vinery in two weeks, where she should be very close to the peak of her powers, and then towards the Oaks.”
Businessman Riccardo Surace snr launched B2B Thoroughbreds after the thrill of part-owning Star Witness, which won the Blue Diamond and Coolmore Stud Stakes in 2010 before two group 1 placings at Royal Ascot.
He is now co-director with his son, who has already seen the highs and lows of breeding, buying and racing. Surace jnr hopes Lazzura and Hidrix, a $1.7 million colt they hold the majority share in, can provide new highs.
“I think Dad just loved horses and he always wanted his own,” he said.
“Star Witness was a superstar, and he fell in love with it. He bought some mares. Initially, they were very bad mares, and he quickly learned that you can’t be doing that.
“We focused on building a broodmare band for a bit and got out of racing, and now we’ve got back into racing.
“I got involved in it in my final years at high school. We formed a pretty good partnership and we’ve got a great team.
“We’re just enjoying the ride. We’re having a good run, but we went through years where we poured money in and got nothing out, so it’s good to be on the right track.
“We’ve never actually had a group 1 win in our colours and that’s the all-time dream.
“We probably have only about 10 horses. The idea is to get a good new one every year, to keep it going. Hopefully we’ve got another one in the firing line.”
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