Manzor Blue eyes Melbourne Cup after impressive Auckland Cup hitout
Most trainers dream of competing in the Group 1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) and Palmerston North horsewoman Lisa Latta may have found her horse to get her to Flemington on the first Tuesday in November.
Talented stayer Manzor Blue once again proved her staying qualities at Ellerslie on Saturday when finishing runner-up behind Australian raider Paradise Storm in the Group 2 Auckland Cup (3200m).
Neither Manzor Blue or Paradise Storm are currently in the Melbourne Cup market at Australian betting sites, with defending champion Half Yours (11.00) the favourite seven months out from the jump.
It comes just over a month after her victory in the Group 3 Wellington Cup (3200m) at Trentham, and Latta was delighted to see the daughter of Almanzor vindicate her connections’ decision to pay the late nomination fee for the Auckland Cup.
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“I am really rapt with her,” Latta said.
“Winning the Wellington Cup and then to carry on with it. She was the first New Zealand horse home, which is always good. We are really proud of what she has done.”
The spelling paddock is now beckoning the five-year-old mare and Latta said she will sit down and devise a plan with Go Racing, who race the mare, about getting Manzor Blue to Melbourne in the spring.
“She will go to the paddock now for six to eight weeks and then we may well look at something in Australia in the spring,” Latta said. “We will give her the chance (to get to the Melbourne Cup), but she has gone out for a well-deserved break now.”
Latta also picked up another pleasing result on Champions Day with stablemate Platinum Attack, who placed in the Group 3 King’s Plate (1200m), and the five-year-old gelding will now be set for a stakes race closer to home.
“I was happy enough with the run,” Latta said. “The lack of speed in the race probably didn’t help him, they didn’t run a really fast time. He is better when the pace is on.
“He will probably back up in the Lightning (Listed, 1200m) at Trentham in two weeks.”
