FIRST IRT HARNESS JEWELS AUSTRALIAN INVITES
HRNZ Media Release, Monday, April 29, 2019
The first two Australian representatives for the 2019 IRT Harness Jewels have today been confirmed.
Lulu Le Mans (2YO Diamond) and Major Occasion (4YO Diamond) have been invited to wear the Australian Jewels colours and compete in this year’s edition of the IRT Harness Jewels, to be held at Addington Raceway in Christchurch on Saturday, June 1.
Lulu Le Mans, with NZ co-trainer, Mark Jones.
A Kiwi-bred daughter of Bettors Delight and Elusive Chick, Lulu Le Mans has returned to New Zealand with two wins to her name and also group placings in the Group Two Sapling Stakes and Group Two Pink Bonnet.
Lulu Le Mans is trained by Aaron Goadsby and Mark Jones and is currently in New Zealand racing in the two-year-old fillies’ features.
She will compete again this week at Alexandra Park in the Magness Benrow NZ Sires Stakes Two-Year-Old Fillies Championship
Major Occasion will fly the flag for Australia in the Four-Year-Old Diamond, and brings with her an impressive array of achievements in her homeland.
Major Occasion is trained by Chris Frisby and has recorded four wins from just ten starts alone this season, including the Group Two Sebelia Stakes over one mile in 1.50.4. She was also a game second in the Ladyship behind Dream About Me in March.
She also competed at the highest level as a three-year-old, finishing second in the Queeland Oaks to Sociable.
Interest from Australian connections this year has been extremely high, hot off the back of the strong showing from Australian horses in the Harness Jewels in 2018.
Although Shez All Rock became the first Australian Jewels winner last year at Cambridge, she was under the care of Mark Purdon and Natalie Rasmussen. So we are yet to have an Australian trained Jewels victor.
More Australian invites will be announced in the near future.
Courtesy of Jess Smith, HRNZ Media Marketing