She’s a “professional” full of fire to her trainer Emma Stewart, a point of pride for her owner/breeders Anne and Bill Anderson, and a bone of contention for long-time pundits who ponder – is Ladies In Red the greatest pacing mare Australia’s seen?
Her place in infamy will play out over the coming season as the extraordinary filly at age two and three returns from a spell to build on her lightly-raced but brilliant four-year-old season.
The Make Mine Cullen, her fourth start this year, kicks off the Elizabeth Clarke Mares Triple Crown and a campaign that’s expected to see Ladies In Red build on her 19 wins from 23 starts.
“She’s really good, worked super this morning and she trialled well,” Stewart said.
“Her draw’s pretty good for her (nine). She’s going to get a good run through. She’s fit and well and she’ll run a really good race.”
Her every step will be watched by plenty, having become racing’s pin-up horse, something Stewart said was “really exciting, it doesn’t happen very often”.
“She’s a lovely horse and I think everyone will be excited to see her out and about. She’s got the score on the board and she’s never run a bad race in her life, so you can always count on her.”
Asked what made Ladies In Red special, for Stewart it’s a simplistic formula: “She’s everything you want”.
“She’s got a bit of firecracker in her, but to go out on the track – you don’t even have to take a watch. She just does it. She’s very casual and just really easy to work and always been a pleasure to get along with.”
And she’s long been a favourite of Stewart’s life and training partner Clayton Tonkin.
“Her gait is just unbelievable to sit behind,” Tonkin said. “She uses no effort, she gives you this feel that she always has something more to give you. She is something special.”
She will likely need to be that again to win tonight’s Group 3 at 7pm, with stablemates Tough Tilly and Treachery the looming threats.
Those sure to be in her corner, and dressed in red, will be the Andersons, ever-present when their Lauriston Bloodstock brood chase silverware.
“She’s a professional racehorse,” Anne said. “That’s bred into her. She knows what she has got to do, when she has got to do it, and then she can relax.”
And Bill said they were happy to share the mare with her many admirers.
“When you’ve bred a horse like her and she can do what she can do let’s all enjoy it. Let’s be aware that they don’t come along very often.”
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