Trainer Stephen Marsh has a shot at a New Zealand racing rarity today but for his most valuable representative it is a case of a victory being a bonus.
Marsh has winning chances at all three domestic meetings spread across Te Rapa, Hastings and Riccarton, with winners at three different New Zealand meetings on the same day a feat probably only accomplished a handful of times.
While the Hawke’s Bay Cup meeting at Hastings is today’s top attraction, the Riccarton meeting sees Marsh line up one of the most valuable horses racing in the country in Luella Cristina.
A daughter of Snitzel from former champion racemare Lucia Valentina, who Marsh trained for the New Zealand phase of her career, Luella Cristina is worth a fortune on breeding alone but in only four starts she has greatly embellished that value with two wins and a Group 1 placing.
“When you train a filly bred like she is, and her breeding doesn’t get much better, the first box to tick is getting them to win a race, which she did on debut,” explains Marsh.