RACING
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WAGGA trainer Trevor Sutherland will farewell two of his stable favourites at Murrumbidgee Turf Club on Friday.
Well-performed mares My Dear Friend and Mrs Menzies will have their final race starts before heading to the breeding barn.
Mrs Menzies, an $8000 yearling purchase, first stepped out in a two-year-old race at Bathurst in 2009 and has gone on to win $135,000 in career earnings with 13 wins and 19 placings from 100 starts.
My Dear Friend arrived from a tried horse sale in 2011 and has won nine races for Sutherland, passing the $100,000 in career earnings during that time.
Both mares will go around for the final occasion on Friday and Sutherland said both have been wonderful assets for his stable.
"Both have been outstanding mares," Sutherland said.
"Both have won over $100,000 and Mrs Menzies was just an $8000 horse, and My Dear Friend $18,000.
"You would go a long way to find two that would provide that much fun.
"Both are still sound, still loving their racing and both will be terribly hard to beat (on Friday).
"Hopefully they both will be wonderful broodmares."
Mrs Menzies, by Commands, is raced by Brett Bradley's Arlington Park Racing, Stephen and Karen Menzies, along with Sutherland.
She was unsuccessfully served by Bullet Train last season so has gone around for one more year and will be served by Shrapnel in the upcoming breeding season.
The seven-year-old contests one of the divisions of the Telstra Business Centre Wagga 2014 Battlers Cup - Benchmark 50 Handicap (1300m) where Sutherland believes she will take catching.
"I think she will go super close," he said.
"The 1300 is probably her pet distance and Kristen rides her as well as anyone.
"We'll be very aggressive on her.
"If they want to take us on they can come with us.
"It will be the last one standing."
My Dear Friend is raced by two syndicates, Directly and Seriously Don't Tell My Wife, along with Sutherland.
She is a metropolitan winner in Adelaide and took out the Ted Ryder Cup Prelude as her best win in Wagga.
Sutherland is excited by her as a broodmare prospect.
"She's got some pretty impressive bloodlines," Sutherland said.
"Her brothers and sisters have performed well in South Africa, one is group one placed.
"I think she is the third most winning mare from General Nediym, in terms of wins.
"The syndicates have had lots of fun."
My Dear Friend will be served by Star Witness at stud.
The six-year-old contests the Coates Hire Benchmark 74 Handicap (1400m) on Friday.