LICHESTER’s win at Kembla on Saturday showed a change of stables can be as good as a holiday.
Having seemingly reached her mark under the tutelage of Joe Pride, LICHESTER was sent to Kerry Parker’s Kembla base in the hope of reigniting her career.
And in much the same vein as when a football team immediately responds under a new manager, LICHESTER rediscovered her will to win.
At a starting price of $20, the daughter of RIBCHESTER was one of the outsiders in the field of 10 but after landing in a midfield position on the rails, she sliced between runners in the straight and pulled out all stops under the urgings of Lee Magorrian.
Adding merit to the performance was the fact LICHESTER was going from a soft (7) surface to a good (3) and dropping from a mile back to 1300m.
“She presented beautifully in the yard which is a credit to the team at Kerry Parker racing,” Magorrian said.
“She jumped well. I knew I had the favourite on my outside which was wobbling about. In the end I decided to hold our line and it paid off.
“I thought the ground would be too firm for her today, but she let down really well.”
LICHESTER was a $130k yearling from Wentwood Grange’s draft at the 2021 NZB Karaka Yearling Sale. The 2024 edition of that sale is scheduled to start in two weeks.
LICHESTER becomes Proven’s 23rd winner for the season and third since January 1.