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Sport Nation
Logan back on the board in New Zealand
Joshua Smith, LOVERACING.NZ News Desk • March 31st, 2025 12:00 pm
Photo: Kenton Wright (Race Images)
Donna Logan recorded her first win since moving back to New Zealand when Larius Lacus took out the Waikato/BOP Racehorse Owners Maiden 1400 at Tauranga on Sunday.
Based in Singapore for seven years, Logan returned to New Zealand late last year after racing ceased in the racing jurisdiction, and she has been in a rebuilding phase at her new base in Byerley Park.
While in Singapore, Logan struck up a good association with Ben Kwok, with the prominent breeder and owner vowing to support her on her return to New Zealand.
He subsequently entrusted Larius Lacus to her care, with the daughter of Turn Me Loose previously having had two unplaced runs in Australia.
The three-year-old filly placed in her only trial for Logan over 1000m at Ellerslie earlier this month and showed tenacity in her New Zealand debut when holding out Tempsford to win by a long neck in the hands of Warren Kennedy on Sunday.
Logan was delighted to get back on the winner’s board in New Zealand, and said it was fitting that she achieved it with a filly bred and owned by Kwok.
“It is great to be back, it’s a really good feeling,” she said.
“Ben is a great supporter of New Zealand racing. Every second person you look at has got a horse for Ben.
“I trained for him in Singapore, he is a really good friend, and I was thrilled to be able to give him that win.
“When the announcement in Singapore was made that they were closing down racing, I went out for lunch with Ben and he said he was going to support me in New Zealand. He said he had a filly in Australia he was going to send back to New Zealand for me, and that was Larius Lacus.”
Logan was pleased with Larius Lacus’ performance and said she has come through the run well.
“I thought it was a really tough effort from her first-up,” she said. “She had every right to be challenged and beaten, but she dug again. It was a very positive ride from Warren Kennedy, which was probably the making of the race in the early stages.
“She licked the bowl clean last night and I couldn’t be happier with her, she is nice and bright this morning, she has come through it well.”
Logan is enjoying being back in New Zealand, however, she admitted she isn’t looking forward to experiencing winter for the first time in several years.
“I have been back training for just over three months and the weather has been good, so I have loved it, but I may have a different view on life in winter,” she quipped.
Logan is still in the midst of re-establishing herself in New Zealand but said she is excited about the prospects of a number of juveniles in her barn.
“I have got a barn full of a lot of two-year-olds,” she said. “We have just got to be patient, young horses take that much longer to get established. We will just tick along very quietly and we will get there.”
