The stats don’t lie – Lazarus breeds success

It was a weekend to remember for Lazarus, as his progeny continue to make their mark on the track with feature wins in New Zealand and Australia.

From just two starters at Geraldine, he produced two winners.

The Lazarus Effect showed his versatility and pure grit by leading throughout to win his first grass track start, in the Geraldine Cup.

Whilst challenged in the home straight, the four-year-old showed every ounce of determination and courage to lift to the line, recording his 8th win in just 12 starts.

Already this year he has also won the Listed New Zealand Standardbred Yearling Sales Aged Classic at Kaikoura, and finished second to Kingman in the Group One Christian Cullen Classic. His main aim this summer is the Group One Invercargill Cup on December 19.

The Lazarus Effect winning the Geraldine Cup

In the very next race, Quicker Than Quick also found the front in the early stages, and he too was headed in the run home only to fight off all attempts to overtake him and record his fourth career win. It continued his impressive record on the grass surface.

Meanwhile, Nathan Street was emphatic winning at Gloucester Park in Perth on Friday night, in his heat of the Christmas Gift series.

The four-year-old had made the move to Perth to target feature racing, and joined the Gary Hall Senior barn.

However his regular driver Gary Hall Junior told Wai Eyre Farm it hasn’t all been smooth sailing since his arrival.

“We had him going really well, and he was going to target the Gold Nugget but fractured a pedal bone. So, he had a fair bit of time off and we had to spell him, but he came back strong and seems really sound this time in,” Hall Junior said.

“He’s a really nice horse I think he would’ve been a big chance in a race like the Gold Nugget.”

This campaign Nathan Street has impressed the team, particularly with his performance on Friday night.

The gelding settled last, at times two lengths off the horse he was trailing. And bided his time before launching three wide, then was pushed four wide. Having to sustain a long run around the field in the final 1000m.

“They ran the race to suit him early. But then they never really came up for air, so it made it pretty hard for us to get around them and get back into it,” Hall Junior explained.

Despite working hard wide, Nathan Street loomed large at the turn and wore down the pacemakers to win in gutsy fashion.

“He’s got a really high turn of speed and on the line I reckon he actually won quite easily. He showed a fair bit of toughness on Friday night.”

“I like his high turn of speed, not too many can run two sub-28 quarters but I think he can.”

“He’s pretty exciting when he’s right. That’s for sure.”

Nathan Street will race again at Gloucester Park this Friday, before competing in the $50,000 Christmas Gift final on December 19.

Hall Junior did say that adapting to the tighter turning Gloucester Park has been a learning curve for the horse. And he sees him with plenty of improvement in him to go yet.

“He’ll make free-for-all grade, he wouldn’t be out of place in a race like this Friday’s WA Pacing Cup. I think he’d perform quite well in that sort of company, I think he’s right up there,” Hall Junior said.

The horse is expected to spell at some point soon, before coming back to target next year’s Cup races.

With The Lazarus Effect in the Invercargill Cup and Nathan Street in the Christmas Gift, both on December 19, it promises to be an exciting couple of weeks ahead for the legendary stallion.

The statistics around Lazarus and his progeny are quite staggering, from just 16 registered four-year-olds in New Zealand – all have either qualified or raced.

Of those 16, ten are mares and the six boys include The Lazarus Effect (8 wins to date) and Jeremiah (7 wins to date) who look set to progress on to more feature racing next season.

His four-year-old mares in New Zealand have stood up as well, Lazarus has produced Change Tact (5 wins, 8 placings with $56,649) and Rose Of Clare (3 wins, 2 placings from just seven starts).

In North America Lazarus has 28 performers who have earned over the $100,000 mark.

Most notably, Voukefalas, who has earned $US 1,131,796. He won the New Jersey Sires Stakes Final as a two and three-year-old and has been a consistent performer in the open class ranks in the USA and Canada.

Two Pistol Annie, ($482,834) continues to compete well in the mares open class, with 19 wins in her career. And Handlelikeaporsche ($446,435) has won 12 and raced in major events like the Breeders Crown and the Pepsi North America Cup. He also won a division of the Tall Dark Stranger and the International Stallion Stakes.

There are 92 live foals in the four-year-old North American crop, 81 have raced with 71 winners. They now have earned $9,144,314 total.

That is an average of $95,395 for each and every foal born in that year - the average earnings per starter is now $115,751 from those foals.

Whilst Lazarus does not have any three-year-olds in New Zealand, his two-year-old crop comprises of 57 foals, 23 of which have already qualified.

He has five individual two-year-old winners in New Zealand in 2025 from this crop (including Patriarch who raced here before being sold to Australia then won).

That is two more individual winners than the top sires Sweet Lou, Art Major and Captain Crunch.

Of his five individual two-year-old winners; Blacklaz has had 3 starts, 1 win, 1 placing with $14,025, Flying Ace - 3 starts, 1 win, 1 placing with $10,010, Signman - 1 start, 1 win, Time For Change -4 starts, 1 win, 1 placing with $12,238.

Patriarch had three placings here before being exported to Perth, he now has had 6 starts, 2 wins, 3 placings with $24,613.

Lazarus also produced War Cry ($47,762) and Nymbal ($6,000) that were placed in Group races from just a few races.

He has 68 yearlings to follow up on his current two-year-olds.

The momentum continues to build for Lazarus at stud, and he promises to carry on producing promising stock as his stud career progresses.

Lazarus stands at Wai Eyre Farm and is available to mares in New Zealand and Australia. 

His Service fee is $4,000.00 plus gst in NZ and $5,500.00 including gst in Australia 

For mares bred at Wai Eyre, his service fee INCLUDES the vet package and working fee.

Talk to us today for a deal to the living legend that is Lazarus!!