Lazzura Stuns Field, Delivers Waller Fourth Straight Coolmore Classic

Lazzura defied top weight and a troubled preparation to deliver Chris Waller an unprecedented fourth consecutive Coolmore Classic at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday, with James McDonald steering the Snitzel mare to a short-neck victory over Arctic Glamour in the A$1 million Group 1 feature over 1500 metres.

Carrying 58 kilograms, Lazzura became the first mare since the legendary Sunline, who lugged 60kg in 2002, to carry more than 57kg to victory in the race. She finished 0.4 lengths clear of Arctic Glamour, trained by Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou and ridden by Tom Sherry at $13, with the $26 chance Vivy Air, trained by Ciaron Maher and ridden by Reece Jones, flashing home a further 0.3 lengths away in third. The winning time was 1:28.39, with the last 600 metres covered in 35.07.

Sent off at $5, Lazzura collected her first Group 1 win after arriving at the race as a four-time stakes winner, including Group 2 successes in the Let's Elope Stakes over 1400 metres and the Phar Lap Stakes over 1500 metres. She had finished third in last year's Surround Stakes, beaten 2.9 lengths behind stablemate Lady Shenandoah, and was narrowly beaten first-up in the Mille Fox Stakes over 1300 metres in the current preparation.

Waller's patient approach paid dividends. "We had her a bit underdone first-up and rode her a pair too close," he said. "Today, we didn't panic from the draw. We went back, got cover three-wide. I thought, following that run last start, you're going to fold up that last hundred, but she was strong. Well deserved. She has been running around against some very good horses without a lot of luck going her way."

McDonald, who pushed his career Group 1 tally to 128 with the victory, was equally struck by Lazzura's tenacity at the line. "I thought she was all-out with one hundred metres to go, but that will to find the line, it's something you can't teach them, you can't train in them," he said. McDonald now needs just one more Group 1 to equal Damien Oliver's Australian record, and he is expected to ride unbeaten Autumn Glow in next Saturday's George Ryder Stakes at Rosehill.

The $4.20 favourite Savvy Hallie, trained by Brad Widdup and ridden by Nash Rawiller, pressed to the front early but emptied out in the straight to finish eleventh of the 14 runners. Rawiller was measured in his assessment. "Disappointing on the day, but she will bounce back," he said, adding that the filly simply failed to see out the distance strongly at this stage of her career.

Waller's four successive Coolmore winners now read: Espiona, by Extreme Choice, in 2023; Zougotcha, by Zoustar, in 2024; Lady Shenandoah, by Snitzel, in 2025; and now Lazzura, also by Snitzel, in 2026. The trainer completed a stakes treble on the day, with Birdman, by Free Eagle, taking the Peter Young Stakes and Sixties, by Flying Artie, winning the Phar Lap Stakes.

Lazzura, a 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale purchase for AUD $500,000 by B2B Thoroughbreds, is out of the Japanese-bred mare Laguna Azzurra and races for B2B Thoroughbreds, managed by R Surace and R C S Surace. Waller confirmed he will consult the ownership group before nominating an autumn target, with the Doncaster Mile on April 4 and the Queen of the Turf Stakes on April 11 the two most likely options. His reasoning was straightforward: "I've got a philosophy that horses don't just win one Group One. If they're good enough to win one, they normally win two or three.