by Bob Marks

Taylor Made Sales and Stallions of Nicholasville, Ky., takes pleasure in announcing that Lazarus, considered the greatest Southern Hemisphere pacer since the legendary Cardigan Bay, will be coming to North America on May 24 to race and being a stallion will be syndicated for stallion duty in North America.

Photo courtesy of the author

Lazarus will be coming to North America on May 24 to race and being a stallion will be syndicated for stallion duty in North America.

Lazarus will be pointed for the Red Mile’s Grand Circuit meet in a direct attempt to lower the existing world standard of 1:46 set there in 2016 by Always B Miki. In addition he will be eligible to be supplemented to North American stakes like the Breeders Crown at Pocono this fall.

Jimmy Takter will train Lazarus during his North American campaign.

Though Taylor Made Sales and Stallions are primarily titans of the Thoroughbred world, they got their start with Standardbreds. Taylor Made was instrumental in the location and syndication of 2017 3-year-old trotting champion What The Hill to Ohio’s Hickory Lane Farms. Both Lazarus and What The Hill‘s acquisitions were brokered by Martinez Equine.

A winner of 35 of his 45 lifetime starts at the variety of distances raced in Australia and New Zealand, Lazarus annexed just about every Group One Australasian classic at one time or another including two New Zealand Cups, The Inter Dominion, The Hunter and Victoria Cups. Lazarus is the richest Down Under bred Standardbred of all time with earnings of $3,821,006. Lazarus was acclaimed Pacer of the Year at ages three, four and five and Horse of the Year at age five. He holds seven individual track records at multiple distances.

Lazarus won six of eight starts at two and was officially credited with a :25.2 final quarter in winning his final start as a 2-year-old. Lazarus was credited with a mile rate of 1:52.4 at two and a mile rate of 1:49 overall. It should be noted there is but one mile track in the Southern Hemisphere and the overwhelming majority of racing surfaces there are half-milers. More importantly, Lazarus has spent more time parked out on the rim often without cover, living to tell about it, reminiscent of the American exploits of our all-time greatest sire Meadow Skipper.

Lazarus has a 100 percent North American pedigree through five generations, being by far the optimum son of the leading dual hemisphere sire Bettor’s Delight from Bethany, she by the great Down Under sire Christian Cullen from the productive Spirit Of Beth by the Albatross stallion Soky’s Atom. In addition, Lazarus, like most champion North American pacers, has seven links to Meadow Skipper through generations five and six though is out crossed through generation three with but two duplications in generation four. Consequently with his precocious 2-year-old speed via sire Bettor’s Delight, Lazarus has all the credentials to prove a generational North American stallion.

Plans for the arrival, racing schedule and eventual stallion location for Lazarus will be announced as they are finalized.

To watch a video of Lazarus in the 2018 Hunter Cup, click here.