Lady Laguna (-105.26) has brought up a hattrick of wins for this preparation after running away from a small field of older horses in the Group 3 Southern Cross Stakes at Rosehill, adding to her Listed Nudgee Stakes and Magic Millions Fillies & Mares victories at her previous two starts.
This daughter of Overshare has started to put it all together in during her four-year-old campaign, taking her record to six wins and 10 placings from 22 starts for Annabel Neasham.
As everyone expected, Malkovich (+450) took up the lead and ensured a solid gallop, with James McDonald settling the race favourite behind the leader and received the run of the race.
There was only one horse that punters wanted to be on at the 400m mark, as McDonald slipped Lady Laguna more rein and she took over with 300m to go.
Hard To Say (+360) was the best of the swoopers, as the Jason Deamer-trained gelding took ground off the winner in the concluding stages to finish second, beaten 1.6 lengths on the line.
Annabel Neasham claimed that Lady Laguna was in career-best form last start and the mare backed up what she said with another strong performance.
“She's a star, she's three on the bounce now,” Neasham said of Lady Laguna.
“The great thing with her is she's so diverse. She'll go on a bottomless track, she'll go on a firm deck.
“She can be on speed, she can sit back. She's so diverse.
“She jumped really well today which was pleasing to see because she was coming back in trip from two runs where she had been ridden a bit quieter.
“She just makes her own luck, she's very tenacious and I think she will just keep on improving and hopefully we can pick off a race like the Millie Fox in a few weeks.
“It would be great if she could stretch out a little bit further because obviously there's a couple of nice mares races at the top level. We'll just take it a race at a time but delighted with that.”
James McDonald is starting to build a nice affiliation with this mare, and he spoke post-race.
“It was a nice position to be in (on-speed), that's for sure,” McDonald said.
“Especially outside of the lead no dramas at all on a fit, in-form mare that's absolutely airborne.
“I don't know what these TAB traders ‘Lay of the day' – what's that go?
“She would actually chase down. You can see when she hit the front, she just thinks her job is done.
“Lovely mare in form, well placed.”