Home track double completes satisfying season for Latta

A winning double on her home turf at the weekend has completed a very satisfying season for Awapuni trainer Lisa Latta.

Victories by Just You and Keep It Savvy lifted her total to 52 wins for the year with 10 of those achieved at stakes level. The final tally placed her sixth on the National Trainer’s Premiership ladder, with Latta delighted with her body of work for the year.

“We’ve had a really good season, especially given that we were operating with reduced numbers on what we had worked with in the past,” she said.

“The changes we made have come together nicely so I’m delighted with how it has all gone.”

Three-year-old filly Dijon Bleu was one of the star performers notching five wins from just eight starts, with all five coming at stakes level including the Gr. 2 Sir Tristram Fillies Classic (2000m) while she also finished runner-up in the Gr.1 One Thousand Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton.

“Dijon Bleu was a real star for us and such a genuine filly,” said Latta.

“Her wins were a real highlight as was the Waikato Cup victory with Five To Midnight.

“However, if I had to nominate my biggest thrill it would be the win by Authentic Paddy in the Zabeel Classic at Ellerslie.

“He’s been in the stable since he was a two-year-old and is such a genuine horse, so to get his Group One win was really something special.”

Latta is gearing up for another Group One campaign with the rising nine-year-old as she looks to kick off his season in the Gr.2 Lisa Chittick Foxbridge Plate (1200m) at Te Rapa on 18 August.

“Paddy is back for another season and will kick off in the Foxbridge at Te Rapa next month,” she said.

“We have him nominated for all three days at Hastings so safely through Te Rapa he will head to the Tarzino Trophy on the first day of the Carnival there.”

The Tarzino Trophy (1400m) is the first Group One event of the new season that will be run at Hastings on September 1.