Blossom Lady was a leading New Zealand

Standardbred The Standardbred is an American horse breed best known for its ability in harness racing, where members of the breed compete at either a trot or pace. Developed in North America, the Standardbred is recognized worldwide, and the breed can trace i ...

racehorse. Affectionately known as "The Bloss" she is most noted for winning the 1992

New Zealand Trotting Cup The New Zealand Cup for standardbred horses, also known as either the New Zealand Trotting Cup or the New Zealand Pacing Cup is a Group One (G1) harness race held annually by the New Zealand Metropolitan Trotting Club at Addington Raceway in Chri ...

and New Zealand Free-For-All double. She also won the 1994 and 1995

A G Hunter Cup The A.G. Hunter Cup is a competition in Harness racing. It is contested over 3,000 metres at Tabcorp Park in Melbourne, VIC. It is one of the world's richest handicap standing start events, currently worth A$425,000. The race was formerly stage ...

in Melbourne, Victoria and in total she won eight Group 1 races. She was crowned

New Zealand Horse of the Year There is a New Zealand horse of the year in each of the racing codes: - Standardbred or harness racing, either pacers or trotters, and - Thoroughbred racing or gallopers. Harness Horse of the Year The New Zealand Harness Horse of the Year award ...

in 1993. Her owners were the Polly Syndicate comprising Ralph & Judy, Bill & Robyn Kermode, Pat & Mary Foley, Bob & Barbara Williams, Ian & Jenny Smith and Ross & Adrienne Kennedy. The majority of her owners were based in Palmerston North and she was initially trained there by Stephen Doody but after 6 wins (at Manawatu and Cheviot), she was moved to Derek Jones at Templeton near Christchurch. She was driven in the majority of her victories by

Anthony Butt Anthony Butt is a driver of standardbred racehorses in New Zealand. He was associated with champions trotters Lyell Creek and Take A Moment, who, along with many other of his best drives, were trained by his brother Tim. He has won the Dominion H ...

, grandson of trainer Derek Jones. Derek himself drove her in one win and his son Peter Jones drove her to two wins. Stephen Doody drove her to five of her six wins when he trained her at Palmerston North. She was known and admired for her stamina and her long career, she raced in six New Zealand Cups and won races at five separate Inter Dominion carnivals. She also won the New Zealand Standardbred Breeders Stakes three times. When she was retired she was the leading stake-winning mare in

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. Her son, Mister D G, foaled 7 December 1997 (Camtastic, USA) was also a top class race-horse who won 20 races including six in Australia. He won the 2004

that his mother had won twice. Blossom Lady died on 18 May 2004. She was inducted into the New Zealand Trotting Hall of Fame and the Addington Harness Hall of Fame. She also had a Lounge named after her at

Addington Raceway Addington may refer to: Places In Australia: * Addington, Victoria In Canada: * Addington, Ontario * Addington County, Ontario (now Lennox and Addington County, Ontario) * Addington Highlands, Ontario * Addington Parish, New Brunswick * Ad ...

Major race wins

Blossom Lady's winning performances included: * 1990 Hannon Memorial, beating Bold Sharvid and Balonne. * 1991 New Zealand Standardbred Breeders Stakes beating Wreleys and Lady Bonnie * 1991 Inter Dominion Consolation (Auckland), beating Tight Connection and Thorate * 1991 Invercargill Cup, beating Tartan Clansman and Strietross * 1991 Easter Cup, over 3200m, beating Inky Lord and Popsicle * 1991 Ashburton Flying Stakes, beating Inky Lord and Clancy * 1991 New World Cup (Forbury), beating Popsicle and Lord Magic * 1992 New Zealand Standardbred Breeders Stakes beating Lady Bonnie and Seaswift Franco * 1992 Invercargill Cup, beating Giovanetto and Air Supply * 1992

, beating Giovanetto and

Christopher Vance Christopher Vance (5 November 1986 – 13 December 2016) was a Group One-winning New Zealand Standardbred racehorse, trained by Roy and Barry Purdon and generally driven by Barry Purdon or Tony Herlihy. He was the 1991–92 New Zealand Horse of ...

* 1992

New Zealand Free For All The New Zealand Pacing Free For All is a major New Zealand harness race. It is notable as it is a Group One championship sprint race and has been won by nearly every champion pacer in New Zealand. History of the race Horses which have won the F ...

, beating Sogo and

* 1993 New Zealand Standardbred Breeders Stakes beating Lady's Day and Smooth Gretna * 1993 Palmerstonian Classic (Manawatu), beating Pacing Machine and Doctor Vic * 1993 New Zealand Mares Championship, beating Lady's Day and Smooth Gretna * 1993 Hannon Memorial, beating Master Musician and Tigerish * 1994

, beating

and The Unicorn * 1994 Speights Cup (Forbury), beating Pay Me Back and Light Year * 1995

, beating Master Musician and Golden Reign

References

{{reflist New Zealand standardbred racehorses New Zealand Trotting Cup winners 1984 racehorse births 2004 racehorse deaths

Major race wins

See also

References