Lucie Boshier can fashion a win in Higgins Memorial

New Zealand-bred four-year-old Lucie Boshier is poised to break a hoodoo by becoming the first mare to win the $35,000 John Higgins Memorial when she starts from the No. 4 barrier in the 2100m event at Gloucester Park on Friday night.

Remarkably, only two mares have managed to be placed in the first 17 years of the Higgins Memorial. Moment In Time, favourite at 10/9 and driven by Kim Prentice, led until the final 20m when a neck second to 16/1 chance Ianalbert in 2006 and a year later 10/1 chance Glitzy Miss (Vance Stampalia) flashed home to finish a head second to Capitol V.

Serpentine trainer Chris Brew declared that Lucie Boshier kept on surprising him after she had annihilated the opposition to win a heat of the Higgins by more than six lengths at Pinjarra last Friday week.

That was her third win from three starts in Australia after she had managed only three wins from 36 starts in New Zealand. Her average winning margins in her three wins for Brew is 10.6 metres.

Lucie Boshier, by former New Zealand champion Elsu, has demonstrated her wonderful versatility in her three WA appearances. She gave a bold frontrunning display when she won easily from Bettor Yarn and Lisharry over 2100m at Gloucester Park and then she set the pace and sprinted over the final 800m in 56.2sec. to beat Quick Reflection over 2100m at Bunbury.

She started out wide on the back line at her third WA start and was most impressive when she charged home, out wide, from the rear at the bell to score a runaway victory over Code Red and Big And Smooth at Pinjarra. She dashed over the final 800m in 57.1sec. and rated 1.56.1 over 2185m.

Lucie Boshier, named after a prominent Auckland fashion designer and entrepreneur, is sure to meet stern opposition from Go West U Terror, Dashing Christian and Code Red, three smart New Zealand-bred pacers trained by Gary Hall sen.

Dashing Christian and Go West U Terror fared well in the random barrier draw and will have many admirers. Dashing Christian will start from the prized No. 1 barrier on the front line and Go West U Terror looks ideally suited from the No. 2 barrier. Code Red faces a tougher test from barrier six.

Dashing Christian and Go West U Terror are blessed with abundant gate speed and each pacer has won several times after setting the pace. It was a more advantageous barrier (three) which enabled Go West U Terror to lead and beat Dashing Christian in a Higgins heat at Northam on Tuesday of last week. Dashing Christian raced three wide and then in the breeze before finishing determinedly to lose by just a head.

Code Red won in fine style at his first two starts in WA early this month before he raced three wide for much of the way and finished a well-beaten second behind Lucie Boshier at Pinjarra.

Rockyourbaby, well drawn at No 2 on the back line, cannot be underestimated and he has prospects of giving trainer-reinsman Colin Brown his fourth victory in the Higgins Memorial after successes with Valiant Soldier (2003), Money Magnet (2004) and Richard Henry (2005). Brown drove 10/9 on favourite Ohokas Bondy in last year’s event when the three-year-old worked hard without cover before fading to fifth behind the pacemaker Move Over.

Rockyourbaby finished powerfully when a close second to Lisharry in the 2100m RWWA Rising Stars Invitation Stakes last Friday night.

Peter Anderson, who trained Move Over for his win in the Higgins Memorial 12 months ago, has two runners this year, both of whom will be at long odds, particularly after drawing badly. Arden Major, who led and wilted to fourth behind Heisbackinblack in a Higgins heat at Narrogin, will start from barrier five on the front line, while Chocolatto, a battling, well-beaten fourth behind Go West U Terror in the heat at Northam, faces a tough task from barrier four on the back line.

Chris Lewis, who will handle Car Fifty Four for Capel trainer Andrew de Campo, has won the Higgins Memorial a record four times. He has been successful with Hail The Judge (1997), Our Graedy (1998), Ianalbert (2006) and Sneakyn Down Under (2007).