STAKES MILESTONE LOOMS FOR LATTA

[Chief Stipe]

Platinum Rapper leads a strong team at Awapuni on Saturday for local trainer Lisa Latta.

Lisa Latta is poised to become a $20 million woman this weekend.

The Palmerston North trainer has 12 horses entered for Awapuni on Saturday and with several strong chances engaged, she looks likely to bank the $22,000 she needs to break $20 million in New Zealand stakes earnings, according to NZTR figures.

It is believed she will become the first woman to reach the mark.

“I hadn’t realised I was getting close to $20 million and it’s not something you ever think about but it’s always nice to hit these milestones,” Latta said.

“We’ve got a good team in and 12 is pretty much the usual number we have for an Awapuni meeting. We’ve got horses that should handle the wet track and some really nice chances.”

Exciting Makfi filly Platinum Rapper headlines the Latta team at Awapuni, tackling the BJW Motors 3YO 1200, having placed behind Dolcetto and Rosewood in the Listed Ag Challenge Stakes (1600m) at Wanganui last month.

“The 1200m might be a bit sharp for her this weekend but I’m really happy with her,” Latta said.

“She had a couple of weeks in the paddock after Wanganui. It was a great run against the older horses at weight-for-age. We went there looking for black-type and it was nice to get it, especially as a three-year-old.

“She’s always shown quite a bit right the way through and she handles it wet, though I don’t know about bottomless. She should be doing her best work late on Saturday. The way the track will be, it will race more like 1400m anyway.”

A younger half-sister to Latta’s Gr.3 Winter Cup (1600m) winner from last year Platinum Command, Platinum Rapper was a $55,000 Karaka yearling buy on the advice of Neville McAlister, who races the filly with Lincoln Farms Bloodstock.

While Latta said there were few similarities between the siblings, both have the Winning Edge Presentations Winter Cup at Riccarton on August 3 as their main targets.

“She’ll have one more run, at New Plymouth on Opunake Cup day, either in the Opunake Cup or the three-year-old race that day,” Latta said.

“She’ll get into the Winter Cup on the minimum.”

Latta, who sits on 949 New Zealand wins, rated last-start Trentham winner Platinum Spirit as one of the stable’s best chances at Awapuni in the Rayner Building 2YO 1200 but expected her whole team to run well.

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