A long-range plan for Matcha Latte to take out the Provincial-Midway Championships Final has paid off for Sara Ryan, thanks to a perfectly timed ride by Ashley Morgan in the $1 million contest at Randwick.
After opening as the favourite with Picklebet, the son of Maurice drifted slightly due to the avalanche of money for Lord Of Biscay, who ended up jumping as the +170 favourite ahead of Matcha Latte at +340.
Vintage Choice (+7000) led the field from Mogul Monarch (+2500) throughout the 1400m contest, while Magnatear (+1300) and Matcha Latte settled in perfect position behind the leading division.
Lord Of Biscay settled right behind the eventual winner and followed him into the home straight as they spun the home corner at the 400m mark.
The leaders didn’t find much early in the straight, which allowed the two favourites to run on by, with Matcha Latte taking over from Vintage Choice.
Lord Of Biscay was breathing down the leader’s neck, and it looked like he was going to past; however, Matcha Latte continued to fight for Morgan and maintained his one-length lead.
The runner-up challenged again late, but Matcha Latte proved too strong to hold off Lord Of Biscay and the fast-finishing Imposant (+3300), who flashed home into third place.
Sara Ryan was emotional following the victory.
“A big thanks to my team to get a horse like him, you know, back to perform at his absolute top,” Ryan said.
“He’s broken my heart more times than once.
“But we love him, I’ve always known his ability, and for him to go and do that, it’s just fantastic.
“It’s honestly him, he’s such an obliging animal, he wants to be here, and he wants to do that.
“Horses can lose confidence when they hurt themselves but he just wants to be here.
“As a Provincial trainer, this is our championship so to come out here and win it with a horse like him after so many issues is fantastic.
“It’s fantastic and I’m so proud of the team.
“Yeah, we’re getting bigger. We’ve got a good team of people around us and a great team.”
Ashley Morgan explained why he was quietly confident before the race.
“When I got off him at Newcastle, I said to Sara, ‘I’ll be there that day.’ I didn’t have a ride, but I was like, ‘you know, you’ll get me on,” Morgan said.
“Great job by her because the horse had his issues and she’s done a great job to rehab him and bring him back.
“His form as a three-year-old was top class, and he ran second in the Cameron behind a Group 1 winner.
“It was a clear stand-out form, and it was just getting it right.”
“The barrier helped, I was happy to take the sit, he actually quickened better than I thought he would.
“We sort of lobbed there a bit too soon and Kris’ horse [Lord Of Biscay] had his chance to get us, but he really dug in late.”
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