With a supplementary entry held for the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale at end of May, Lady Laguna could well be nearing the end of her time in the OTI silks. A trip back to Queensland and a shot at the 1200m Group 1 Doomben 10,000 now awaits the ultra-consistent mare.
Lady Laguna heads to Doomben fourth up after finishing 3 rd in both the Group 2 Sapphire Stakes and Group 3 Hawkesbury Crown. She wasn’t quite at her best when leading them up last start on heavy ground with 60kgs on her back. Regardless, the mare has trained on well, which included a pleasing solo gallop at Warwick Farm on Tuesday.
Lady Laguna gallops well in preparation for Saturday.
A return to Doomben and the WFA scale is very welcome. The mare has had six career starts in Queensland, which has resulted in four wins and two minor placings. It’s clear she enjoys the sunshine state and the race pressure that often eventuates, and we’ll need that again on Saturday after the draws were released.
In what looks a strong edition of the Group 1 event, Lady Laguna has drawn barrier 16 with Mark Zahra engaged. Fortunately, the mare has shown good versatility in the past, so if she finds herself well back with cover, we’d be expecting her to still find the line well. To view the full field, click here.
Lady Laguna wins the G1 Canterbury Stakes in 2024.
Although Lady Laguna will need to lift her game to be in the mix, having finished in the first three of black type/feature races on 18 occasions, we can count on an honest and competitive showing.
Hopefully, she can recapture her best form for a wonderful group of owners as she nears the next phase of her career.