Taylor Made Sales and Stallions of Nicholasville, Kentucky has officially announced that Lazarus, considered the greatest Southern Hemisphere pacer since the legendary Cardigan Bay, will be coming to North America on May 24.
Lazarus is making the trip to race and be syndicated for stallion duty in North America. Trot Insider featured news of the Lazarus deal on the Standardbred Canada website on Sunday (May 6). To read the story, which includes comments from Lazarus' previous connections, click here.
Lazarus will be pointed for the Red Mile’s Grand Circuit meet in a direct attempt to lower the existing world standard of 1:46, which was set there in 2016 by Always B Miki. In addition, Lazarus will be eligible to be supplemented to North American stakes like the Breeders Crown at Pocono Downs, which will be contested this fall.
Though Taylor Made Sales and Stallions are primarily titans of the Thoroughbred world, it got its start with Standardbreds. Taylor Made was instrumental in the location and syndication of 2017 three-year-old trotting champion What The Hill to Ohio’s Hickory Lane Farms. Both the Lazarus and What The Hill acquisitions were brokered by Martinez Equine.
A winner of 35 of his 45 lifetime starts at the variety of distances raced in Australia and New Zealand, Lazarus annexed just about every Group 1 Australasian classic at one time or another, including two New Zealand Cups, The Inter Dominion, The Hunter and Victoria Cups. Lazarus is the richest Down Under-bred Standardbred of all time, with earnings of $3,821,006. Lazarus was acclaimed pacer of the year at ages three, four and five and also horse of the year at age five. He holds seven individual track records at multiple distances.
Lazarus won six of eight starts at two and was officially credited with a :25.2 final quarter in winning his final start as a two-year-old . Lazarus was credited with a mile rate of 1:52.4 at two and a mile rate of 1:49 overall. It should be noted there is but one mile track in the Southern Hemisphere and the overwhelming majority of racing surfaces there are half-mile tracks. More importantly, Lazarus has spent quite a bit of time parked out on the rim – often without cover – and has lived to tell about it, reminiscent of the American exploits of the great Meadow Skipper.
Lazarus, pictured, will be making his way to North America on May 24, 2018 (Photo courtesy John Curtin)
Lazarus has a 100 per cent North American pedigree through five generations being by far the optimum son of the leading dual hemisphere sire Bettors Delight; from Bethany, she by the great Down Under sire Christian Cullen, from the productive Spirit Of Beth, who is by the Albatross stallion Sokys Atom.
In addition, Lazarus, like most champion North American pacers, has seven links to Meadow Skipper through generations five and six, though is out crossed through generation three with but two duplications in generation four. Consequently, with his precocious two-year-old speed via sire Bettors Delight, Lazarus has all the credentials to prove a generational North American stallion.
Plans for the arrival, racing schedule and eventual stallion location for Lazarus will be announced as they are finalized.
(With files from Taylor Made Sales and Stallions)