Awapuni trainer Lisa Latta will be chasing stakes success on both sides of the Tasman on Saturday, starting close to home at Wanganui where she will have a two-pronged attack in the Listed AGC Training Stakes WFA (1600m).
Seasoned gelding Belardo Boy is used to lumbering topweight, but he will have company this week at weight-for-age level, but it is track conditions that are Latta’s biggest concern.
Eight of his 11 victories have come on Heavy surfaces, and with Wanganui’s track rated a Soft5 on Friday morning, she is hoping it isn’t too testing for the son of Belardo.
“We were looking for rain and we haven’t got it,” Latta said. “He always operates a touch better when it is Heavy, but as long as the fire is out of the track, that’s the main thing.”
He will be joined in the race by stablemate Platinum Diamond, who has won both of her starts on the track, including the Listed Wanganui Guineas (1200m), and the daughter of Hello Youmzain will be seeking to keep her undefeated record at Wanganui intact this weekend.
Following a subpar showing at Te Rapa on ANZAC Day, the three-year-old filly bounced back when runner-up in the Gr.3 Rotorua Stakes (1400m), her first test at weight-for-age, and she will benefit from the same conditions on Saturday where she is allocated just 55kg.
“We rode her handy at Waikato and she just wasn’t happy at all,” Latta said. “We added the tongue-tie at Rotorua but Matt Cameron (jockey) said she wasn’t that comfortable in that either, so we have pulled that back off.
“She gets in with that weight relief, that is always a help, and Bruno (Queiroz, jockey) knows her pretty well so we will leave it to him.”
Across the Tasman, Latta will be represented by Platinum Pantheon in the Gr.3 Fred Best Classic (1400m) at Eagle Farm.
The Group Three performer was sixth in the Gr.3 Gold Coast Guineas (1200m) earlier this month and Latta was happy enough with his Australian debut.
“We rode him a touch handier than what we usually do,” she said. “There wasn’t a lot of room to get out, and he only finished two lengths from them, so I thought it was a tidy enough run.”
Initially first on the ballot for Saturday, Platinum Pantheon has benefitted from a couple of scratchings and will jump from barrier 10 with Mark Du Plessis aboard.
“He ended up one on the ballot, but he made the field on Wednesday. It is a really strong field,” Latta said.
“He worked very well on Tuesday and Mark Du Plessis went in and rode him and he was very happy with him.”
Back in New Zealand, Latta will also head to her home synthetic meeting at Awapuni on Sunday with a quartet of representatives, including last start runner-up Platinum Sixty Six in the Manawatu Shearing 1700 and future jumper Sir Mikki in the Happy Birthday Property Brokers 2140.
“Platinum Sixty Six always races well on the poly,” Latta said. “Sir Mikki has got his jumping ticket and it’s just a fitness run for him. That (jumping) has certainly brightened him up a bit.” – LOVERACING.NZ News Desk