Changeover filly takes out 2YO Diamond

The Nigel McGrath trained Dizzy Miss Lizzy was a dominant winner of the $150,000 Group 1 2YO Fillies Diamond (1,609m) at Ashburton Raceway on Saturday afternoon, once again storming home late in the piece to claim an impressive victory.

Having won the Yearling Sales Fillies Final a fortnight ago over a similar field Dizzy Miss Lizzy went into the end of season feature one of the favourites despite her second row draw.

Three-back on the rail for much of the trip with main rival Elle Mac controlling the race from in front, the gaps opened turning for home and Blair Orange was able to extract Dizzy Miss Lizzy into the clear who then used her devastating turn of foot to reel in the leaders and score by three-quarters of a length at the line.

Dizzy Miss Lizzy’s time of 1:53.6 wasn’t far off champion mare Dream About Me’s national age group record of 1:53.6 set in the same race at Ashburton two seasons ago.

The win was Dizzy Miss Lizzy’s third black type victory from just four starts to date, taking her earnings to $165,594.

By the dual Harness Jewels winner Changeover, Dizzy Miss Lizzy was bred by Don Bates’ Norwegian Wood Breeding Limited and is out of the two-win Presidential Ball mare Back In The USSR.

Back In The USSR had the distinction of being one of just two broodmares to have had more than one foal in Saturday’s Harness Jewels Finals with her 4-year-old daughter Hard Days Night also qualifying but finishing down the track in the 4YO Diamond.