The Listed John Turkington Forestry Castletown Stakes (1200m) was one of the few age-group features in the lower North Island that was missing from Lisa Latta’s CV, but the fast-improving filly Platinum Diamond dealt to that unfinished business at Otaki on Friday.
Latta has picked up more than 80 black-type victories in her 1200-win training career, including Central Districts two and three-year-old prizes such as the Gr.1 New Zealand Oaks (2400m), Gr.1 Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m), Gr.2 Hawke’s Bay Guineas (1400m), Gr.2 Wellington Guineas (1400m), Gr.2 Lowland Stakes (2100m), Gr.3 Desert Gold Stakes (1600m), Gr.3 Gold Trail Stakes (1200m), Listed Wellesley Stakes (1000m) and Listed Ryder Stakes (1200m).
But the Castletown had proved elusive, with placegetters Secret Allure (2018), Miss Fi (2015) and Elusive Red (2011) delivering her best results. That all changed on Friday.
Latta went into the $80,000 juvenile feature with both quality and quantity on her side. She saddled a three-strong Castletown contingent, headed by stylish last-start Wanganui winner Platinum Diamond.
However, the favourite for the Castletown Stakes was one of the beaten runners from that Wanganui race on May 31. Gavin Sharrock’s Country Salon was significantly hampered by his stablemate Spandeedo that day, carried extremely wide around the home turn before recovering to finish second and three-quarters of a length behind the winner.
Country Salon was sent out as a $3 favourite to reverse that result on Friday, but instead Platinum Diamond increased her winning margin with an even more impressive performance.
Platinum Diamond was patiently ridden by visiting Brazilian jockey Bruno Queiroz, settling second-last as Portland led the field up to the point of the home turn.
Country Salon enjoyed a perfect run on the outside of the leader and then kicked hard to take command straightening for home.
But then Queiroz angled Platinum Diamond into clear air and unleashed her down the outside of the favourite. She burst to the front at the 200m mark and kicked away to win by a length and a quarter. Country Salon held on for second, a head in front of the winner’s stablemate Brutiful Lass.
“I was very confident before the race,” said Queiroz, who has now ridden 12 winners in New Zealand including two at Listed level.
“This is a nice horse. She was travelling very well all the way. I just waited until the straight, and then she flew home.”
Lisa Latta Racing Stables paid $90,000 to buy Platinum Diamond from breeders Beaufort Downs during Book 2 of Karaka 2024. The filly has now had three starts for two wins and $66,975 in stakes.
“She’s really going the right way,” Latta said. “She was a late foal, a December foal, and we’ve just waited on her and given her time. Every start, she’s got better and better.
“Bruno was very confident today. I didn’t really have to give him instructions. He said, ‘I’ll just win.’
“There are some great owners in this filly. Neville McAlister has been with me for a long time and puts a huge amount of work into finding these horses. Kevin and Wendy Dixon and Trevor Tomlins, from the South Island, are in the ownership too. It’s great to get this result for them.”
Platinum Diamond is the second stakes winner from Cambridge Stud shuttle stallion Hello Youmzain’s first New Zealand crop, joining Lucy In The Sky in the Listed Champagne Stakes (1200m) at Riccarton in May.
Hello Youmzain heads New Zealand’s first-season sire standings with total progeny earnings of $284,585. That puts him almost $50,000 ahead of the second-placed Lucky Vega, whose $235,700 comes mostly from Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m) runner-up Vega For Luck.
Platinum Diamond is out of the winning Thorn Park mare Spritz, who is a half-sister to the Group One placegetter Corsage.
Spritz is the dam of two winners from two foals to race, with Platinum Diamond’s half-brother Healthy Healthy being a five-time winner in Hong Kong.