Ken Casellas | Photo: Pacepix
Kevin Strahan and Garry McRae outlaid $21,000 to purchase a Jeremes Jet filly at the 2013 Gloucester Standardbreds yearling sale. The filly was the ninth foal out of Pleasedontstop and was named Shezagoodtimegirl.
Unfortunately, Shezagoodtimegirl was a failure on the race track and was retired after managing just two placings (seconds at Northam and Pinjarra) from 14 starts for stakes of $4523.
The owners put Shezagoodtimegirl to stud — and she is now making up for her lack of success on the track by being an excellent brood mare. Her third foal, bred and owned by Strahan and McRae, is Lenora Jane, who is developing into a leading candidate for the rich classics for two-year-old fillies this year, headed by the $100,000 Diamond Classic on Friday week and the $225,000 Westbred Classic on September 15.
Lenora Jane, trained by Kim Prentice and driven by Mitch Miller, has had three starts for two wins and a second placing for $20,818 in prizemoney.
She was the $1.20 favourite when she overcame the disadvantage of a wide barrier (No. 6) to record a devastating five-length victory over Shes A Mare in the 1730m The West Australian Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Miller did not bustle Lenora Jane at the start before sending her forward to take the lead after 150m on her way to her runaway victory at a 1.57.9 rate, with final quarters of 29.2sec. and 27.2sec.
“She has all the attributes of a nice filly,” said Miller. “She is very sensible and has got great high speed as well as being able to do a bit of work and still be there at the finish, like she showed when she raced in the breeze and finished second to Xceptional Arma two starts ago.
“She is a double Westbred and will be aimed at the feature events for fillies. We don’t want to teach her to fly the arm and so I let her come out under her own steam tonight. We want to keep her nice and relaxed.
“She seems to have a good head on her shoulders which contrasts with the behaviour of Peeping Tom and Elli Mirando, the first two foals out of Shezagoodtimegirl.
“Her half-sister Elli Mirando turned into a bit of a nut case, and she stressed herself out so much that she had an aneurysm and died when I was jogging her at home a few months ago. She had a lot of ability.”
Elli Mirando, bred and owned by Strahan and McRae, earned $47,939 from six wins and 11 placings from 35 starts, while Peeping Tom, Elli Mirando’s full-brother, has managed one win (at Kellerberrin two months ago) and five placings from 32 starts for stakes of $11,033.
Pleasedontstop, who raced only eight times for one placing, a close second to Balzac at Pinjarra in July 2000, produced nine winners, including her first foal Nomore Forusir, who had 96 starts for 26 wins, 20 placings and stakes of $198,663.