Tight call in the four year old mare category

It is quickly coming around to that point of the New Zealand harness racing season where we start to hand out the gongs for best performed in each age group and gait divisions.

Harnesslink thought we would do a review of each of the categories with our view on where the contenders sit.

This is the 4 year old mare category

1) Venus Serena – 2015 Season:    9 starts,    2 wins,    1 seconds,    1 thirds,    Lt $122,158

A bit of a mixed bag in a couple of races but still showed plenty of the old Venus Serena magic to be a contender here.

Only raced nine times during the season but every start was in Group races against the best

No luck in the big mares races at Auckland in December but drawing wide in one and second line in the other didn't help on either occasion but still went huge races to run fourth in both races.

Franked that form when the daughter of Mach Three drew good for once and beat Dalton Bromac, Te Kawau and Arden Rooney at Cambridge on Christmas eve.

Won one of the two Group 1 races open to all mares in New Zealand when she took out the $100,000 New Zealand Breeders Stakes at Addington in her typical never say die manner.

Beaten into second in the Harness Jewels but again from a shocking draw and it took a mare who got the perfect trip to beat her.

2) Lancewood Lizzie – 2015 Season:    12 starts,    4 wins,    1 seconds,    3 thirds,    Lt $140,947  

Has a lot of strings to her bow when talking about top spot in this division.

Like Venus Serena she won a Group 1 and a Group 2 during the season and was the top money earner of both sexes in the four year old division.

Lancewood Lizzie had a two/ one advantage over Venus Serena in their three meetings during the season but did have the advantage of drawing beautifully on two of those occasions while Venus Serena drew poorly.

The daughter of Bettor's Delight is a devastating sit sprinter off a soft trip as she showed in the Harness Jewels but comes back to the field quickly if made to work in her races.

Did win four races during the season but two of those wins were in grade racing away from the best horses.

Finished the season on a high beating Venus Serena and that is what may stick in the minds of a lot of the media deciding this award.

3) Willow – 2015 Season:    12 starts,    4 wins,    3 seconds,    2 thirds,    Lt $80,241

Another mare who couldn't buy a draw or a half decent run in most of the big mares races this season.

Ran a great third to Adore Me in Auckland beating home both Venus Serena and Lancewood Lizzie by over five lengths.

Had no luck in the $100,000 New Zealand Breeders Stakes from a second line draw coming from near last on the corner for a great second.

Her luck went from bad to worse in the Harness Jewels where after getting a good run through from her second line draw, the daughter of Bettor's Delight was shuffled back to last at the 800 metres.

Three wide from there, she rattled home late for fourth, covering her last 800 metres three and four wide on the last bend in a blistering 54 flat.

Selection

You can make a solid case for either Venus Serena or Lancewood Lizzie with both having a very similar record over the season.

Both won a Group 1 and a Group 2 and on paper there seems little between them.

In the end we went for Venus Serena due to the fact that every single race she was in this season was a Group race.

There was no easy money on offer all season whereas Lancewood Lizzie did race five times in grade races and earned good money doing so.

Change the draws in a couple of the big races and Willow could have just as easily won this division.

Harnesslink Media