Veteran dual-code conditioner Garry Frazer produced a training masterclass to qualify First Lady for Friday night's G2 Richmond Oaks final.
Over the course of 50-plus years training thoroughbreds, Garry Frazer has celebrated Group 1 glory with Turridu, Quick Star and most recently brilliant sprinting mare Spright.
But Frazer's conditioning skills are by no means limited to horses.
The 74-year-old, based at Clarendon in Sydney's west, produced a training masterclass in qualifying First Lady for Friday night's G2 Richmond Oaks final (520m), Frazer's first Group finalist in the canine code.
First Lady, an impeccably-bred daughter of Fernando Bale and Good Odds Meghan, a litter sister to Million Dollar Chase hero Good Odds Harada and superstar sprinter/sire Feral Franky, is on the comeback trail after missing the best part of a year after an unfruitful visit to the breeding barn.
Last Friday night's upset victory in her Richmond Oaks heat may have been First Lady's first success since clocking 29.72 at Wentworth Park way back in November 2024, but it came as no surprise to Frazer.
"If she gets in front on the first corner, it's hard to run her down.
"She had a year off and it's taken a while to get her back, but I gave her a chance last week.
"She was big odds. She wouldn't have been those odds if one of the big name trainers had her.
"We mated her to Bernardo, but she never went into pup. She's out of the best family in the studbook, so we were looking forward to breeding with her. We'll try again when she comes on season.
"But she was only lightly-raced, so I thought we'd be able to bring her back."
First Lady
After her lengthy absence, First Lady, a five-time Wentworth Park winner, was a $34 outsider from box five in her Oaks heat, but led all-the-way in 29.68, her tenth win from 54 starts.
She defeated Billy Ray's Girl by a neck, with recent G1 National Futurity winner Ritza Tiana third.
"It was a good field and there were no excuses for the rest of them," Frazer said.
First Lady will need to defy the odds once again to claim the Oaks' $40,000 winner's purse. after drawing poorly in box four in another hot field.
First Lady is $41, with Steve Fitch's Eriza Sparkles (box 6) $1.90 favourite on the back of a scorching 29.23 heat victory.
"She's drawn badly again," Frazer lamented.
"The three (Screaming Violet) has a lot of speed and will probably hold me out on the first corner.
"I think she'd be the first dog I've had in a Group race.
"We've never had the numbers of dogs to be competitive in those big races. I only ever have one or two at a time, which makes it impossible.
"I've got two dogs at the moment – First Lady and Cash De Oro (Barcia Bale x Good Odds Cash).
"I've been training dogs for around 40 years and thoroughbreds for longer. I've got seven or eight horses in work, but I used to have around 40.
"The first decent dog I had was called Agnes Banks. He was out of Kim's Monaro (1974 Australian Cup winner) and I got him off Bob Doak."
