Lady Laguna raced her way into the $1 million TAB Magic Millions Fillies and Mares (1300m) with a wildcard and raced away with the bounty at the Gold Coast on Saturday when easily accounting for her rivals in the final race on Magic Millions Raceday.
While she wasn’t offered for purchase via a Magic Millions sale, the homebred daughter of Widden Stud’s Overshare earned ballot exemption for the lucrative fillies and mares contest when winning the Listed Nudgee Stakes (1200m) at Doomben last month.
Annabel Neasham’s galloper showed all the class that has carried her to two stakes wins when powering over the top of Miss Hellfire and Maid To Fit in the final 200m of Saturday’s race under a confident James McDonald ride.
A winner of five of her 21 starts, Lady Laguna has now banked more than $1.3 million in prizemoney for connections, much in thanks to the $569,000 first prize on Saturday.
Neasham said that while the mare showed nice ability as a two-year-old and raced in the Golden Slipper, she was proving to be a classy older mare.
“She was so tough,” Neasham said.
“She had a slightly tricky alley but you’re always confident when you’ve got James on. He said he’d like to be midfield with cover and that is what happened.
“I’m so happy for OTI - they’ve been great supporters of mine and I’m just so lucky to have a tough filly like her.
“She’s been a phenomenal story for the owners.”
Neasham has been involved in 19 yearling purchases on the Gold Coast this week, including colts by I Am Invincible, Zoustar and Written Tycoon, as well as fillies by Snitzel, Farnan and Pierata.
Lady Laguna's dam Cataline De Lago was sold to Kingstar Farm for $180,000 at the 2022 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale and was covered last spring by Cox Plate winner State of Rest (IRE).
