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    • Lisa Latta is often a force to be reckoned with when she takes her horses to Riccarton for New Zealand Cup Week and hopes this year will be no exception. The Awapuni horsewoman will look to add another Listed Donaldson Brown Pegasus Stakes (1000m) and Gr.3 Windsor Park Stud Canterbury Breeders’ Stakes (1400m) to her mantelpiece on Saturday, with key hopes in Platinum Attack and Connello engaged in the feature races. A five-year-old by Santos, Platinum Attack has won two of three attempts at the 1000m trip, his only defeat coming when running blistering sectionals into sixth in last year’s Pegasus. He went on to finish fifth in the Gr.1 Telegraph (1200m) and Gr.1 Railway (1200m) against the best of the country’s sprinters, and just missed when runner-up in the Listed Lightning Handicap (1200m) in autumn. Platinum Attack asserted his favouritism with a sharp trial win at Awapuni last month, boosted by the services of leading hoop Craig Grylls. “He has been set for this, he’s just been looking for those better tracks,” Latta said. “Even though they said it was a heavy track at Awapuni, it played way better than that. He has a good turn of foot on a good track, that’s for sure.” As she did last year, Latta intends to back the gelding up in next Saturday’s Listed Lindauer Stewards Stakes (1200m). Breeders’ contender Connello is no stranger to the big Riccarton circuit, having travelled down on three separate occasions including for last year’s Gr.1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m), where she finished fifth behind race rival Captured By Love. The daughter of Time Test picked up where she left off this term as a four-year-old, placing in the Gr.3 Grangewilliam Stud Breeders Stakes (1400m) before a tough trip for fifth last start at Trentham. Also to be ridden by Grylls, Connello will carry the same silks worn by Latta’s 2022 victor Belclare. “She’s got a really nice draw to utilise and a top jockey on,” Latta said. “She drew wide at Wellington and that track was definitely a bit tricky, and she had a bit of weight to carry there as well. I think she looks well placed here.” Their stablemate Platinum Pantheon has been based at Riccarton over the past three weeks after a stunning maiden win at Ashburton, setting him up nicely for in the Scenic Hotel Group Premier (1200m). “He’s been at Andrew Carston’s and he’s been really happy with him, he’s drawn wide (12) again so we’ll have to see how he jumps and go from there,” Latta said. Latta’s focus will turn to Tauherenikau on Sunday, where progressive staying mare Manzor Blue takes her place in the Wrights Cabins and Construction R75 (1600m). “I’d expect her to be right in the mix of it again, it’s not the strongest of fields and she is a lovely mare that has shown a fair bit,” Latta said. “We decided to give her another mile before we stepped her up over ground.” View the full article
    • Genuine filly Miss Ziggy ticked a significant box for trainer Andrew Carston during her trouble-free build-up to Saturday’s Gr.1 Barneswood Farm New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton. The local hope has spent most of her career competing in strong age group company and delivered an overdue victory two runs back. “I needed to get a win out of the way, and I thought I might have got that before I did, but since she won it has been plain sailing,” he said. “I’m very happy with my horse and the one thing I’ve said through this prep is that we haven’t had to do any travelling, we’ve just had to go across the fence.” Miss Ziggy placed in her first two starts last term before heading north to finish fourth in the Gr.2 Wakefield Challenge Stakes (1100m) and then ventured further afield. Her following four starts were all at Ellerslie where ran a gallant third in the Karaka Millions (1200m) behind La Dorada and the now Victorian-based Vega For Luck. Most recently on her home Riccarton turf, the daughter of Brazen Beau finished fifth in the Listed Canterbury Belle Stakes (1200m) and third in the Gr.3 Barneswood Farm Stakes (1400m) with her maiden win in between times. Miss Ziggy will again be ridden by Kylie Williams, who has the task of overcoming a potentially tricky draw of 10. “The barrier is no help and some of the more favoured fillies from the north have drawn to get pretty soft runs,” Carston said. “I just have to worry about my filly though, and everything has gone to plan so fingers crossed for some luck. “I don’t think she will have trouble with the distance and I’ve got her the best she can be, it’s a pleasure to have a filly in a Group One at a big carnival for one of my biggest supporters.” Raced by the Ritchie family, Miss Ziggy is currently at $41 in the Guineas market despite her consistent run of past and current form. “She was near enough to a 100 to one in the Karaka Million, so I’m not worried about that,” Carston said. He will have five other representatives in action on the opening day of the New Zealand Cup carnival, including two in the Blue Star Taxis Premier (1400m). “Say Satono hasn’t had the rub of the green, but I can’t fault her and gets Kylie back on which is a big help and the other mare Maybe Diva has done nothing wrong during the prep,” Carston said. “Mogul has been close enough and Ess Vee Are has been slightly disappointing, but he drops a long way in grade and I expect to see a good showing from him.” Mogul runs in the Scenic Hotel Group Premier (1200m), Ess Vee Are takes on the Road Metals Premier (2000m) with Hard Attack to step out in the Garrards Horse & Hound Premier (1200m). “Her best runs have been when we’ve ridden her quietly, so hopefully she can get some cover down the chute and get her chance,” Carston said. View the full article
    • Trans-Tasman trainer Andrew Forsman is hoping his stable can feature on both sides of the ditch this weekend. His Cambridge stable will have strong representation at Pukekohe and Tauherenikau on Saturday and Sunday respectively, while his Flemington barn will have a two-pronged attack on Champions Stakes Day at their iconic Melbourne base. Force Of Nature will lead the charge on the home front at Pukekohe where he will be fresh-up in the Listed Legacy Lodge Sprint (1200m). Initially set to be run at Te Rapa, Saturday’s meeting was transferred to Pukekohe following the Hamilton track’s Labour Day meeting abandonment, with the club immediately undertaking renovation work ahead of the busy summer season. The change in venue is the biggest query for Forsman, but he said the Tony Rider-bred and raced gelding has been working well leading into the sprint feature. “We are a little bit disadvantaged that we targeted a race at Te Rapa and now we are at Pukekohe,” Forsman said. “He is a horse that is certainly more comfortable left-handed, that is the only negative, but we can’t really fault his work heading into it.” Forsman will also be represented at the South Auckland venue by last-start winner Rambling On in the Show By SkyCity 1500 and Trust Alone in the TAB 2200. “It was a very game win (by Rambling On) last start,” Forsman said. “He hadn’t raced for a couple of months and I thought he was vulnerable fitness-wise late. He had to work a little bit mid-stages, but it was a really game effort. It is a decent enough step up on Saturday. “Trust Alone was a little bit disappointing at Te Aroha the other day. She was another one that had a bit of time between runs. I think she will be the big improver and she should be very competitive on her work.” On Sunday, Forsman will line-up a couple of debutants at Tauherenikau, including OTI Racing’s Lassidfied in the LA Stud 2YO (1000m). “It is nice to give her a trip away and I am sure we will get a decent surface down there, which will be good,” he said. “1000m first time out, drawn well with a good rider on, I think she has got a lot of things in her favour. The Stay Inside filly has placed in both of her trials to date and Forsman is looking forward to stepping her out on raceday this weekend. “It is nice to give her a trip away and I am sure we will get a decent surface down there, which will be good,” he said. “1000m first time out, drawn well (1) with a good rider (Craig Grylls) on, I think she has got a lot of things in her favour.” Stablemate Autumn Queen will also make her debut in the Liquorland Masterton Maiden (1400m), where she will jump from barrier nine with Craig Grylls aboard. “She is a nice filly but is maybe a preparation away,” Forsman said. “She has had a couple of quiet trials. We will give her a run and then decide whether we press on now or give her a bit more time and she might be one for into next year.” Stakes targets await Privy Garden, who will be kept up to the mark for the Listed Steelform Roofing Group Wanganui Cup (2040m) later this month with a hit-out in the Wrights Cabins & Construction (1600m). “She is just having a run to keep her up to the mark for the Wanganui Cup, that is our target with with her at this stage,” Forsman said. “She had a bit of time out in the paddock after her last run and Sunday is very much a tune up run to have her ready and fit for 2000m.” Forsman will also be represented on Sunday by Retrostar in the Wairarapa Music In The Country (1400m) and Nedelin in the Lamb Peters Print (1000m). “Nedelin was a little bit unlucky (when fifth on debut), he just had to work from the widish gate,” he said. “I think there is a fair bit of speed in his race, so it would be nice to see him take a good sit off them and chase a nice tempo. He has a good amount of ability and we expect him to run really well. “Retro Star is going back to a track he has run well at before. I think the smaller field really suits him and we are taking him down there to try and get him back to his better form.” Across the Tasman, Group One performer Positivity will contest the Gr.2 Matriarch Stakes (2000m) on Champions Stakes Day at Flemington, while stablemate Yaldi will feature in the HKJC World Pool Grand Handicap (1100m) following his first-up runner-up performance over 1100m at Bendigo last month. “We are testing the waters with Yaldi a little bit,” Forsman said. “There won’t be a race for him down the straight for a little while and we thought while we have got the opportunity, and he is in his right grade for a decent stakes, we would give him a go. “It will be interesting to see how that sets up for him. He hasn’t drawn really well (19), but I think the outside part of the track will be the place to be. “Positivity is going great, she is just racing without a lot of luck at the moment. Hopefully the race is genuinely run.” View the full article
    • Shisospicy and Bentornato are back in their stalls at Palm Meadows, Gulfstream Park's satellite training facility in Palm Beach County, happy and sound, but the Jose D'Angelo-trained Breeders' Cup winners are hardly going to rest on their laurels.View the full article
    • The Melbourne Cup Carnival concludes Nov. 8 with a trio of group 1 races at Flemington Racecourse: the 1,200-meter (about 6-furlong) Champions Sprint (G1), Champions Mile (G1), and Champions Stakes (G1) at 2,000 meters (1 1/4 miles).View the full article
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