WINNER: Trans Tasman Stakes' Wins - Lara The Star

Crowned Champion Two-Year-Old in New Zealand, Lara Antipova (3 f Russian Revolution – Artistic Lass, by Myboycharlie) won the $175,000 Listed Michael Moroney (1400m) on Saturday at Flemington.

A standout among the juveniles and unbeaten in all four starts last season, including the Group 1 Sistema Stakes (1200m), Group 2 Matamata Breeders’ Stakes (1200m), and Group 2 Wakefield Challenge Stakes (1100m), Lara Antipova undertook preparations in the Te Akau stable at Cranbourne, before being without favours when resuming in the Group 3 Quezette Stakes (1100m) on 15 August at Caulfield, and was out to seek redemption.

Ridden by back-to-back Melbourne Cup winning jockey Mark Zahra, Lara Antipova was able to capitalise on a lovely trip behind the leader, seized a gap near the rail inside the 300m, and extended beautifully to gain authority over her rivals.

“She flew the start to find the box seat, travelled well, and I just needed room at the right time,” Zahra said.

“She was going that well, I got through and she was having a look around on the line, so it was a nice, comprehensive, victory.

Zahra also mentioned the race honouring Michael Moroney, when saying: “He was a good friend of mine, I rode a lot of winners for him, and just an all-round great bloke and no one had a bad word to say about him. It’s a privilege and I’ll have a glass of red for Mike, tonight.”

On Good4 footing, Lara Antipova ran 1400 metres in 1:22.8, last 600m in 34.5, and paid $9.40 & $3.10 on the NZ TAB tote.

When commenting after the race, trainer Mark Walker acknowledged both Lara Antipova and trainer Michael Moroney, who had the race named in his honour after passing in 2025.

“It was special to win the first running of this race,” Walker said. 

“I spent many a year with Mike at Matamata, in the early days before he came over to train in Adelaide and then Melbourne. He was an absolute gentleman and full of good stories, too, and we had a lot of banter at the Matamata track over the years.

“Before her run in the Quezette Stakes, she (Lara Antipova) wasn’t quite there in the coat and she’d come a long way. 

“Ben (Gleeson) and I took her to Mornington, Friday week ago, for a track gallop and we just knew then that she was somewhere near her best.

“It’s great for the New Zealand industry that her form stacks up. She is a Group One winner at home and I know this is a Listed race, but it was a quality field and it’s good to see the form measure up.”

Walker said that Lara Antipova would prepare for the A$1.5 million Group 1 Thousand Guineas (1600m) on 17 October at Caulfield, via either the A$300,000 Group 2 Bill Stutt Stakes (1600m) on Sunday 27 September at Caulfield, or the A$300,000 Group 2 Edward Manifold Stakes (1600m) on Saturday 3 October at Flemington. 

She could potentially be joined in the Thousand Guineas by stable-mate Tolaga Bay (Alabama Express), who made it two from two when resuming with victory on 2 September at Sandown. She is scheduled to have her lead-up in the A$300,000 Group 2 Manhari Thousand Guineas Prelude (1400m) on 19 September at Caulfield. 

In the process of winning, Lara Antipova recorded the 35th stakes' win for Te Akau in Australia in the past nine years (there were quite a number prior to that too), since Gingernuts (Iffraaj) won the Group 1 Rosehill Guineas in 2017. The tally includes 15 Group One wins, with the latest being Geegees Misstruth (Wordsmith) in the A$1 million Robert Sangster Stakes (1200m) in April at Morphettville.

Owned by the Fortuna Lara Antipova Syndicate (Mgr: John Galvin), she was purchased for $100,000 by Sir David Ellis and Fortuna Racing, from the draft of Vinery Stud, at the 2025 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. 

Last Sunday, at the 2025-2026 New Zealand Thoroughbred Horse of the Year ceremony, Lara Antipova was awarded Champion Two-Year-Old, where Galvin said: “Her combined winning margins was about 19 lengths, so she was pretty dominant and is a lovely horse to own.

“I want to acknowledge Mark (Walker) and Sam (Bergerson) for their training and handling of her, and Sir David Ellis for the purchase. David and I have been buying horses together since 2003, and Mark has been training them since then, too.”

Following victory in theListed  Michael Moroney, from the course, Galvin said: “I’m blown away with the win and we’ve silenced the doubters, of which there were a few.

“Obviously, we were a bit disappointed with her fresh-up run at Caulfield, but she had a few excuses and things didn’t go right.

“But, today, she was all class and she’s beaten 13 colts or geldings and given weight to them all, as a Group One winner. She bounced away well, got a lovely run, found the inside gap and was just too strong to the line.

“I’m very pleased she’s back. Not many can win five out of six and physically we saw a huge improvement in the coat since her last race, where she was still a bit woolly, but when I saw her in the birdcage, today, she was gleaming.

“It’s great to have two fillies heading towards the Thousand Guineas, and the form of (Fortuna Racing) Tolaga Bay is also good because she beat Somethings Burnin’, who raced again today against Lara Antipova.

“It’s a credit to Mark (Walker) and Ben (Gleeson) for handling this horse so well. It’s never easy to come over here and win, and it was great to see the best of her at Flemington, today. 

“We had two owners there today, Keith Hand and Greg McQuillan, and our usual support team of four young University students, who have been to all of our races since Bellatrix Star started to win over here two years ago. 

“It was also a huge thrill to win the Michael Moroney. Mike and I go back a long way and used to be drinking buddies back in the early 80s. We used to have a drink together at Glen Orchard Stud in Matamata, when Neville Bradford was running the stud.

“I was sharemilking up the road and we used to gather there for Friday night drinks, with the Moroney brothers, Mike and Paul, Jim Marks, and Keith Haub, etc.”

Lara Antipova was strapped by Wyatt Jenkins.