Awapuni trainer Lisa Latta is forming a successful partnership with Northern apprentice jockey Ace Lawson-Carroll, and the combination were to the fore at Trentham on Saturday producing a winning double.
Latta, who is just shy of a half-century of winners for the season, picked up a trio of placings earlier on the card but wasn’t to be denied with $3.20 race-favourite Belle’s Echo in the AB Equipment & Speirs Finance 1400.
Lawson-Carroll settled the daughter of Echoes Of Heaven midfield on the fence through the running, and the mare surged down the centre of the track to score over Opawa Jack, capping her consistent form line of late.
The winning roll continued into following event, the John Turkington Forestry 2200, where stable veteran Lincoln Star collected the eighth victory of his 70-start career, and second in three starts with Lawson-Carroll on board.
Jumping from barrier five, Lawson-Carroll showed intent early and crossed to the lead around the opening bend, before allowing Divine Spirit to dictate the tempo, allowing the son of Savabeel to slot comfortably in a trail position.
Lincoln Star set off to chase down the pacemaker on straightening and soon was on even terms with Divine Spirit, eventually drawing away to power home by 1 ½ lengths, with a further head back to a storming Masso in third.
The 19-year-old hoop has picked up six victories and a further 10 placings for Latta, and was thrilled to deliver a Saturday double.
“I’m very grateful to Lisa and all the work she does with her horses,” he said.
“We were drawn well enough to be right there and I got across before the first bend before Jim Chung (jockey of Divine Spirit) came up and set a nice tempo, so we were travelling along well.
“He definitely showed that (toughness) over the last 100m, he kept kicking away from them and found the line nicely.”
The nine-year-old is owned outright by Latta, and has won over $220,000 in stakes across seven seasons.
“It’s definitely a bonus (owning), especially when you’re about to go on holiday,” she said.
“He tries very hard.
“This was a pretty special sort of a win, this was the first horse that Aleisha Smith, Kane and Jo’s daughter, has led in today and she’s very keen.
“She does a lot around the stable so this is a pretty special moment for her.”
Lincoln Star was initially purchased by Lincoln Farms Bloodstock for $180,000 at the 2016 National Yearling Sales out of Waikato Stud’s draft. He is out of talented O’Reilly mare Dating, a dual Group Three winner who placed behind Mufhasa in the Gr.1 Captain Cook Stakes (1600m).
The pairing came close to three on the bounce with Lincoln Falls in the feature event, the Listed James Bull Rangitikei Cup (1600m), but were denied by talented mare Islington Lass by a ½ length.