The biblical Lazarus miraculously rose from the dead after four days. The pacer Lazarus has risen from New Zealand and will race on four dates in North America this fall according to a press release announcing the purchase, and then he will be retired to stud, probably doing double duty between North America and Down Under. Primary credit for putting the deal together has been given to Ernie Martinez of Martinez Equine, who says, “It was my idea. My mind works a little differently. With the loss of Somebeachsomewhere, there is a hole in the stallion ranks and this is the greatest Standardbred living today.  Duncan (Taylor of Taylor Made Sales and Stallions) had always said if you find the right horse, we would be interested. I had sold them some horses a few years ago and we did the What The Hill deal. Taylor Made, they are amazing horsemen and we both agreed on this horse. There was no hesitation.” Taylor Made Sales and Stallions, the Nicholasville, Kentucky nursery best known for standing Thoroughbreds like California Chrome, Graydar, Midnight Storm and Mshawish has purchased Lazarus, who carries a North American pedigree connection, despite racing in New Zealand. He is a son of Bettor’s Delight. Though Taylor Made is best known for its Thoroughbreds, they got their start with Standardbreds and were also instrumental in the syndication of 2017 3-year-old trotting champion What The Hill, who stands at Ohio’s Hickory Lane Farm. “He will race more than four times, if all goes to plan. Probably a bit in Ohio and Pennsylvania, then maybe the TVG series. He will be a great stallion, but we just want the American breeders to see him, to prove what we already know.  We have been equating speed for greatness in this sport for a long time, but this horse has it all. We had a team of vets go over him down there and they were amazed at the radiographs,” said Martinez. “His joints, the bone density, to have raced that hard . . . nearly always parked . . . and to be in that kind of condition.” A winner of 35 of his 45 lifetime starts in Australia and New Zealand, Lazarus has won nearly every “Group One” Australasian classic, including two New Zealand Cups, The Inter Dominion, The Hunter and Victoria Cups.   Lazarus is the richest Down Under bred Standardbred of all time, with earnings of NZ$3,821,066 (US$2,683,343). He was named Pacer of the Year at ages 3 and 4, and is expected to be named Horse of the Year at age 5 (although he will be a six-year-old in North America). He holds seven individual track records at multiple distances and has finished off the board just twice, including a seventh-place finish in his last start in February. Hall of Famer Jimmy Takter will train Lazarus during his 2018 North American campaign.