Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Talented reinsman Donald Harper continued his love affair with chestnut mare Luvaflair when he drove the seven-year-old to victory in the $31,000TABtouch Trotters Sprint at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
This was Harper’s tenth win with Luvaflair, who is prepared by Waroona trainer Nigel Johns, who also has driven the mare to ten of her 23 career wins.
“It’s great to get a win for Nigel; they’re family to me,” said Harper, who won ten times with the Johns-trained mare All Flair, the dam of Luvaflair, who was bred and is owned by Victorians Noel and Kaye Boyd.
Luvaflair won the Trotters Sprint in March 2023 when she beat Line The Starzzz and Patched, and then finished an unlucky fourth behind Our Maestoso in same event last January.
She was a $14.80 chance from out wide at barrier seven in Friday night’s 1730m Group 3 event, in which Hold That Gold dominated betting as the $1.32 favourite after winning at his seven previous starts.
Hold That Gold began speedily from the No. 3 barrier and led by three-quarters of a length but was unable to cross Luvaflair’s stablemate Aldebaran Sundown ($6.50), while Luvaflair settled down in sixth place. Harper quickly made up ground on the inside and Luvaflair soon was enjoying an ideal passage, three back on the pegs as Aldebaran Sundown was setting a fast pace with Sunnys Little Rose ($12) trailing the pacemaker.
“I had a bit of luck in the run, and we took short cuts,” said Harper. “It all worked out, and once I got into the clear at the 700m I thought she was a good show from there.”
Patched ($11), the only runner on the back line, was sixth at the bell and he sustained a spirited burst to finish a close second to Luvaflair, who dashed past Aldebaran Sundown and into the lead approaching the home turn. Luvaflair then fought on grimly to hold Patched at bay.
“Luvaflair is a quality mare, and even from bad draws she runs a drum,” said Harper. “And when things work out for her, she normally pops up (and wins).”
Luvaflair has proved to be a hardy performer who has raced 119 times for 23 wins, 39 placings and $224,782 in prizemoney. She is by French sire Love You and is the first foal, and only one to race, out of All Flair, who earned $121,187 from eleven wins and 60 placings from 171 starts.
Flair, the dam of All Flair, managed three seconds and $1203 in stakes from 15 Victorian starts before becoming a wonderful brood mare who produced nine winners, including Compressor (205 starts for 25 wins, 60 placings and $221,026) and Opulence (165 starts for 23 wins, 29 placings and $121,043).
Compressor was a star in WA where he won 20 races for Johns after five wins in Victoria. Opulence won four times for Johns.
Johns was delighted with Luvaflair’s win but said that his drive Aldebaran Sundown was an unlucky fifth after setting the pace. “The connecting strap to the elbow pads became detached,” he said. “I’m not sure when that happened, but the protective pads were dangling over the final 400 metres, and this affected him. Otherwise, he would have gone close to winning.”
The elbow joints protrude out from the extreme top of the back of the horse’s front legs, and without the protective pads Aldebaran Sundown’s front hooves were striking the elbows, placing the gelding at a disadvantage.
Johns said that he would be setting Luvaflair and Aldebaran Sundown, as well as his other starters in Friday night’s race (Dark Secret and Sellune) for the $50,000 Trotters Cup next Friday week.
“There is also a standing-start race for trotters next Friday night, and I’ll be considering starting my runners in that race as well,” said Johns.
“Luvaflair is one of the best horses I’ve had. She is so consistent and never runs a bad race. She had been racing for two years straight until last winter when she had her first spell for ages, and that was because I was in hospital having my heart valves done.”