Lisa Latta can’t wait for racing to return to her home track of Awapuni on Friday and she’ll be flying the flag for the locals in the Listed ANZAC Mile (1600m).
Based at the Palmerston North venue, Latta has watched on as the turf track received an extensive refurbishment, with successful jump-outs and trials deeming Awapuni fit to return to the domestic calendar.
After a long 18 months away from regular programming, Latta was more than satisfied with what she saw in the lead-up to Friday’s meeting.
“It’s gone really well, we had a lot of rain before the trials and the track held up so well,” she said. “I’ve galloped a fair number of horses out there and I’m really happy with it.
“We’ve done a lot of travelling, we obviously had a lot of home meetings that were run elsewhere and it makes a difference, you’re home earlier, staff are done earlier, all those types of things. It’s definitely been a strain in that regard.
“We’re really looking forward to being back.”
Representing Latta in the ANZAC Mile will be He’s A Doozy, a Group One-winning galloper who looked to have found his form of old last-start at Wanganui.
While delighted to see her talented galloper back in the winner’s circle, Latta admitted the 59kg impost he now carries on Friday will pose a challenge.
“He’d been disappointing down south, so we changed a couple of things around on him and it was great to have him back in winning form at Wanganui,” she said.
“Unfortunately, he’s back up in the handicaps again now and is carrying topweight.
“We’ll get this run into him and see where we go from here, he’s drawn well and that’ll be a help carrying that much weight.”
Group Three-winning gelding Lantern Way has also indicated he is back on the up this preparation, finishing well behind subsequent stakes winner Slipper Island at Trentham and repeating that effort last-start behind Ballon D’Or.
The son of Satono Aladdin will contest the TRC Tractors 1400 alongside his stablemate Benefactor, who also prefers the cut out of the track.
“He’s been good in his last couple, he’s probably looking for a bit more moisture in the track though and I think the track will probably get back a bit more than what it is at the moment,” she said.
“I just think he could be looking for a looser, softer track, and similar for Benefactor.”
Latta will saddle over a dozen more runners through the meeting, then her focus will turn to the south on Saturday, as her ultra-consistent filly Connello contests the Listed New Zealand Bloodstock Warstep Stakes (2000m) at Riccarton.
The Time Test filly is accustomed to travelling across the Cook Strait, having finished fifth in the Listed Canterbury Belle Stakes (1200m) and Group 1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) in the spring.
Closer to home, she was beaten only by Leica Lucy in the Group 3 Eulogy Stakes (1600m) and Group 3 Desert Gold Stakes (1600m), before midfield finishes in the Group 2 Lowland Stakes (2100m) and Group 1 New Zealand Oaks (2400m).
Back in the south, she stormed home into second behind Dream Of The Moon in the Listed NZB Airfreight Stakes (1600m) a fortnight ago, earning herself another shot at black-type this term.
“She drew the outside (in the NZB Airfreight) and got caught wide which you would expect, while the winner got all favours with that inside draw” Latta said.
“She tries her little heart out every time and she deserves to take her place on Saturday.”
Back at Wanganui on Sunday, heavy-track specialist and multiple-stakes winner Belardo Boy will resume in the Open 1350m.
Belardo Boy’s 99 rating will make weight-for-age racing an appeal this preparation and Latta is eyeing a potential tilt at the early Hawke’s Bay features, which will be held at Awapuni.
“He’s had a nice trial, we’ll claim the three kilos with Amber Riddell riding him, which will help,” she said. “This is a fitness run for him to get back up to a mile after that.
“We’ll just have to take the medicine a little bit with the weights, we’ll try to get back to the weight-for-age at Wanganui (Listed AGC Training Stakes, 1600m) which he won last year.
“We may miss going south this year and with Awapuni having the first two races of the big days, weather can sometimes play a role there. We might get a bit of an off-track which would be a help to him.”
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