Written by Harnesslink Media
The Queen’s Gambit (Captain Crunch) made the perfect start to her Australian harness racing campaign with a dominant victory at Menangle on Tuesday.
The Queens Gambit pictured winning a race in New Zealand (Race Images Photo)
Owned and part-bred by Mick Harvey, the beautifully bred three-year-old filly was having her first Australian start for leading trainer Jason Grimson and driver Cameron Hart.
Despite starting from the outside of the front line in barrier 10, The Queen’s Gambit justified her short $1.25 quote with an impressive 11.4-metre victory in the Wards Accounting Group Pace over 1609 metres.
THE QUEEN’S GAMBIT REPLAY
The daughter of Captain Crunch arrived in Australia with strong New Zealand form, highlighted by her Group One second in the New Zealand Sires’ Stakes Two-Year-Old Fillies Final at Addington during Cup Week in 2025.
Her pedigree makes her an exciting racing and future breeding prospect.
The Queen’s Gambit is the first foal from the Art Major mare Gemma Mac, herself a talented five-time winner. Gemma Mac is a full sister to New Zealand pacing star Merlin and a half-sister to champion mare Captains Mistress.
Merlin has earned more than $1.8 million, with his major victories including the $1 million Race by Grins and the Group One New Zealand and Northern Derbies. His outstanding 2024 season also earned him New Zealand Pacer of the Year honours.
Captains Mistress has won 20 races and earned more than $1.65 million in prizemoney while establishing herself as one of Australasia’s finest mares.
Her outstanding Group One victories include the $300,000 Rising Sun, where she defeated a quality field in a track-record mile rate, the Queen Elizabeth II Mile at Menangle and the $1 million Inter Dominion Pacing Final at Albion Park.
In the Inter Dominion Final, Captains Mistress defeated champion pacer Leap To Fame and became the first mare to win the famous race since Jodie’s Babe in 1989.
Those performances highlight the depth and quality of the maternal family behind The Queen’s Gambit.
The filly will continue her Australian campaign with the Grimson stable before eventually joining Harvey’s select boutique broodmare band.
That breeding operation has already produced outstanding Group One winners Kingman and Ripples, and The Queen’s Gambit shapes as another valuable addition when her racing career is complete.
For now, however, the focus remains firmly on racing, and her dominant Menangle debut suggests there should be plenty more to look forward to during her Australian campaign.
For complete race results, click here.
From Harnesslink Media