Repeat success for Lomas in the CD

By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk 

It's a New Year but Senior Constable Liz's win at Hawera this week had a very familiar feel about it.

The Bernard Lomas-trained four-year-old broke through for her first win in Tuesday's The Workers of the Workout Committee Handicap Trot. 

The victory came almost a year to the day (364 days to be precise) since Senior Constable Liz's mum The Gardener's Pride won her first race, also for Lomas, at Otaki 200 kilometres down the road.

Senior Constable Liz's first win came at start number 26, while The Gardener's Pride's first win was her 38th career start.

"Both mum and daughter have done very well for me," says Lomas, who also bred and races the two mares.

A hobby trainer and "a gardener all my life," the Burnham-based Lomas made the decision to breed from The Gardener's Pride when she was sidelined from racing. 

"Pridey did a tendon so I thought I would put her in foal."

Senior Constable Liz was born in 2021 and subsequently named after Lomas' sister Liz who died from cancer about two years ago.

"My sister was mad about The Gardener's Pride and her rank was Senior Constable so I asked her if I could name the horse after her."

"She was quite happy about it." 

In 2024 Lomas took both Senior Constable Liz and The Gardener's Pride to Otaki.

"Otaki was my home track growing up as a kid and I hadn't been there since 1991."

From a large family Lomas had plenty turn up to support him at Otaki and such was the experience that he decided to repeat the trip to the Central Districts this year, and race at Hawera.

The Gardener's Pride was left at home as she recovers from a paddock injury so it was just "Lizzie", Bernard and his dog ANZAC who trekked north.

"It's all a tiki tour for us - it's my holiday at the moment."

The Lomas roadshow now heads to Taupo for the first ever harness meeting there next Monday where Senior Constable Liz will line up in Race 3, the Skyline Packages for Feb/March on Sale Trot (12.30pm).