The Debonair Stakes

[Handy Harry]

Thursday January 30, 07:14 PM

Hardrada takes on the stars


Not one to dodge a challenge, Ascot trainer Lou Luciani has brought talented three-year-old Hardrada over from Perth to take on a smart field in Saturday's Group Three The Debonair (1420m) at Flemington.

By 1986 Sydney Cup winner Marooned, Hardrada has been in Melbourne for nearly two weeks to settle in before taking on star filly Innovation Girl and highly-rated Sydney colt Thorn Park.


"I've never come over to Melbourne and seen an easy $200,000 race," said Luciani.

"Thorn Park obviously is very smart as is Innovation Girl and I have to see if Hardrada is up to them.

"I feel the horse that was going around last November certainly was up to it.

"His form was strong last preparation, he hit a purple patch.

"The query is that he's had a short break and I have to see if I can get him back to that sort of form again."

Hardrada campaigned in Melbourne as a two-year-old last autumn finishing fifth in each of his three starts.

"He was running against speed horses in races that were too short for him and struck a couple of wet tracks, it was not his go," Luciani recalled.

However, Hardrada has since lived up to the early promise he displayed in Perth where he won his first two starts in Listed company by 4-3/4 lengths and five lengths.

The gelding won the Sires' Produce Stakes (1400m) at Ascot last April and last spring ran brilliant times of 1:08.77 and 1:21.93 respectively to win at Group Two weight-for-age level in the Winterbottom Stakes (1200m) and in the Lee-Steere Stakes (1400m).

Hardrada then looked a certainty beaten when a head runner-up to Old Fashion in the Railway Stakes (1600m) before going down by a length when an unlucky fifth to Blevvo in the Fruit `n' Veg Stakes (1800m).

Champion jockey Damien Oliver, who landed a winning treble at Caulfield on Monday, will ride Hardrada, who drew barrier four in the 10-horse field.

Luciani has the Group One $750,000 Cadbury Guineas (1600m) at Flemington on February 15 and the Group Two $200,000 Shannons Classic (1800m) at Caulfield on March 1 earmarked for Hardrada after The Debonair.

Thorn Park (Darren Beadman) and Innovation Girl (Nash Rawiller), both with impressive first-up wins under their belts, are equal favourites with bookmakers at 11-8 with Hardrada at 8-1, Jeremiad at 10-1 and Delago Brom and Conspectus at 14-1.

Meanwhile smart sprinting mare Libidinious, who has had two starts for the Gai Waterhouse stable for a win in the Carrington Stakes (1000m) at Randwick and a second to Yell in the Carlyon Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley, is favourite at 7-4 for the Listed $75,000 Kensington Stakes (1100m) ahead of Cosmic Strike at 11-2.

[Handy Harry]

By Patrick Bartley

February 1 2003


Western Australian trainer Lou Luciani is growing tired of hearing about today's "match race" between the much-heralded Sydney star Thorn Park and the flying local mare Innovation Girl in The Debonair at Flemington.

While he has a healthy respect for both three-year-olds, Luciani, who prepares Hardrada, believes the form for the $200,000 group three race is impossible to line up because the main players are from different parts of Australia.

"Hardrada is from Perth, Thorn Park, Sydney, and Innovation Girl from here in Melbourne; it makes it tough to get a line on them," he said yesterday.

Luciani, a multiple premiership-winning trainer in Perth, said he had not made the long journey east just to get a trip away.

"I wouldn't have come to Melbourne if I didn't think (Hardrada) was worthy of matching it with the best. He's a group one galloper who had the misfortune of running into Bel Esprit the last time we were here."


Hardrada, who cost $28,000 as a yearling, was well equipped on both a fitness level and a class level for today's 1420-metre race.

"When he was here last year as a two-year-old in the Blue Diamond Prelude, his sectionals over the last 800 were the fastest of any others in the race," Luciani said.

"It showed he knows how to hit the line. But the horses
he met were just too slick for him."

Luciani said WA form was not given enough credence in the eastern states, with the notable exception of Northerly.

"If you have got a good horse, you have got a good horse anywhere," he said.

"Obviously, we don't get the same amount of good horses you get over in these parts, but when one is going very well, like Northerly, who is a freak, you have to give them a go (in the east) to prove themselves.

"Hardrada's probably the best horse in my stable. But I really think next preparation will be his season. I don't think we will see the best of him until next time around."

Of Hardrada's main rivals today, he said: "I've probably seen a bit more of Innovation Girl than I have Thorn Park, but they say he is top-class.

"I've got a fair opinion of my bloke, too, but I suppose we won't know until he takes them on tomorrow. I'll be on him, but I've done my money before.

"That's not any assurance, but we will be in there having a go."

His confidence has been boosted by having Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Damien Oliver aboard Hardrada. "It's certainly a bonus," he said.

Luciani has ruled out taking Hardrada on to Sydney after his Melbourne campaign, in which his main target is the group one Australian Guineas later this month.


This story was found at: http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/01/31/1043804522803.html

[Handy Harry]

Innovation Girl jumped out in front yesterday and proceeded to give an all the way, top class, performance to win the Group 3 The Debonair (1400m) at Flemington.

Sydney’s boom colt Thorn Park (Darren Beadman) gave the filly eight lengths after settling at the tail and was never going to be make up that sort of ground. He struggled into sixth place.

Innovation Girl, rated in front perfectly by Nash Rawiller, notched her 10th win from just 13 starts. Even with this impressive record however, trainer Brian Mayfield-Smith is dubious about heading any further, distance wise, with her.

“I’ll have a good think about the Guineas, (Cadbury Guineas (1600m) Feb 15) I don’t really think she showed today that she would be able to run the mile, I don’t really know at this stage.”
Meanwhile the Thorn Park camp weren’t as disappointed about ‘Arnie’s’ run as the punters were.

“It was three weeks in between runs,” said Thomsen ( on Thorn Park)

“The race wasn't really run to suit him and he will take a lot of improvement from the run.”