Three-pronged attack on Winter Cup by Latta
Awapuni trainer Lisa Latta is putting the finishing touches on three Winter Cup runners.
Latta reckons she might take six or seven horses to the Grand National meeting at Riccarton on August 6, 10 and 13. The Group III $100,000 Winter Cup, on the first day, has been won twice by Lattatrained Mikki Street (2006) and Tuscany Warrior (2003).
Her prospects this year are North And South, Platinum Command and Our Gazza.
North And South ran a solid second in the Opunake Cup on Saturday, Platinum Command won the Whyte Handicap at Trentham on July 16 and Our Gazza was third in his latest start.
Jockey Masa Tanaka rode North And South at the weekend but will switch to Platinum Command for the Winter Cup. Latta is yet to decide who will ride North And South at Riccarton.
‘‘I was really happy with his run,’’ Latta said of North And South’s Opunake Cup effort.
Apprentice Viktoria Gatu will continue her association with Illuminati in the Winter Cup.
Gatu chalked up her fifth win on the Keeper mare in Saturday’s open 1400m at Ruakaka. Cambridge trainer Ben Foote said Illuminati would be on a plane, leaving Auckland for Christchurch, in the middle of next week.
Illuminati, who will stay at the Riccarton stable of Terri Rae, ran second to Timy Tyler in the Winter Cup last year.
Foote’s best training win at Riccarton was with Validify in the Listed South Island Two-year-old Stakes in 2002.
As a jumps jockey, Foote finished third on Sir Avion in the 2002 Grand National Steeplechase.
The Ashburton meeting on Saturday is the only fixture Sam Wynne will ride at this week. The Christchurch apprentice had thoughts of heading north in a bid to get more wins before the season finishes on Sunday. She is second on the South Island jockeys’ premiership with 60 wins, four behind Terry Moseley. It is the first season he has reached 50 wins. His four Listed wins were in the Dunedin Cup (Kaharau), Champagne Stakes (Zigwig), Southland Guineas (Replique) and NZ Bloodstock Airfreight Stakes (Honor That). He also won the Waverley and Greymouth Cups on Sanasar and Absolut Excelencia, respectively. Moseley will ride at Ashburton on Saturday.