Platinum Pantheon on top at Tauranga
Awapuni visitor Platinum Pantheon (Hanseatic) enhanced his reputation as a horse going places when he ran down pacemaker Lucy In The Sky to win the J Swap Contractors 3YO (1200m) at Tauranga on Saturday.
The Lisa Latta-trained gelding carried the clear topweight of 58.5kgs with Opie Bosson in the saddle but made light of the impost as he cruised along three back against the fence for most of the 1200m journey before improving to be on the heels of the pacemakers Lucy In The Sky and Chatelle Rose rounding the home turn.
Bosson angled the son of Hanseatic into a tight gap between the pair at the 200m and he showed plenty of tenacity to draw clear and win by more than a length at the line, in the process registering his fourth career victory at just his tenth start.
Latta, who was with a big team at Wanganui, was suitably impressed with the effort and praised the ride of Bosson.
“I’m really rapt as that was his first time going right-handed, which can be a challenge, but I thought it was a great ride from Opie,” Latta said.
“He got him into a beautiful spot and didn’t go around a horse until he had too.
“I was a little worried that the track could be too wet but by the time of the race it had dried out a fair bit and he has handled that sort of going at the trials.”
With the prospect of wet tracks setting in over the next few weeks, Latta is keen to test her charge abroad with a potential trip to Queensland for the winter carnival there on offer.
“He really has it all in front of him as he is not the finished product and is developing really nicely,” she said.
“We are definitely looking at taking him to Brisbane later on as there are any number of nice three-year-old races over there for him.
“I also think he can get a little further than 1200m as I asked Opie about that and he said he would get 1400m no problems as he relaxes so well during his races.”
An Australian-bred son of Hanseatic, Platinum Pantheon was a A$60,000 purchase out of breeder Rosemont Stud’s draft at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
He is raced by long-term Latta stable clients Kevin Dixon and Neville McAlister and has won a tick over $95,000 in prizemoney for them, with the promise of more to come.
