Racing: Class mare returns to form

Lance O'Sullivan was quick to pass all the credit for his first Group One training victory at Ellerslie yesterday onto the hard working staff in his Matamata stable.

The O'Sullivan-trained Calveen made a timely return to winning form when outsprinting a quality field to win the $150,000 Speights Easter Handicap.

Earlier this season the 4-year-old mare was racing in superlative fashion from the O'Sullivan stable unleashing a devastating furlong sprint in winning back-to-back races but had no luck in her last three starts.

Calveen had indicated in her track work, following a last-start fourth placing behind Rockabubble in Group One company at Te Aroha, that she was approaching peak form.

Cameron Lammas tucked Calveen in midfield before asking his charge to lengthen stride and work forward into a challenging position wide out on the home turn.

Once Lammas had balanced Calveen and asked her to sprint this combination effortlessly lengthened stride on the easy track conditions and drew clear to win by 1 3/4 lengths over Kristov.

A further long head away in third position was British Ensign.

"Calveen's work since she raced at Te Aroha has been first class and she just seems to have turned a corner and got back into form," said O'Sullivan.

"We had a few little problems with her leading into her last start at Te Aroha but she has been a different horse since that run.

"I'm still learning how to train this mare and I did change things around a little bit with her as she's done plenty of slow pace work.

"She had no luck in the Group One race here at Ellerslie on January 3 when finishing third as she missed the start and went a top race to finish third.

"My name may be in the race book as the trainer of Calveen but there are a lot of staff back at Wexford Stables who have put in a lot of hard work getting this mare back into winning form.

"Cameron Lammas rode my first win as a trainer back in October and it seems ironic that he's also on board my first Group One win as well."

There was certainly a lot of significance attached to the Group One victory for O'Sullivan, Lammas and Calveen's part-owner Lyn Stevens.

The victory was the first Group One win for O'Sullivan, apprentice jockey Lammas and Auckland Racing Club chairman Lyn Stevens.

- HERALD ON SUNDAY