Great day for Lincoln Farms and trainer Lisa Latta at Trentham

Trainer Lisa Latta is tipping big things from Lincoln Farms’ two winners at Trentham yesterday, Princess Amelie and Lincoln Raider both on paths for feature races in the New Year.

Latta enjoyed one of her best days on her favourite course, saddling three winners in all, with Sir Nate also successful and now bound for Riccarton and the 2000 Guineas.

But Latta will resist the temptation to throw the lightly raced Princess Amelie on the float to Christchurch for the 1000 Guineas, targeting a stakes race at Ellerslie in January instead.

“She’s not strong enough for 1600 metres just yet and that trip to Riccarton can break them for the season.

“She could reach 1600 metres eventually but we’ll keep her to sprinting in the meantime.

Princess Amelie staves off a late run from More Wonder at Trentham yesterday. PHOTO: Race Images.“There’s a Group III race on Karaka Millions night that would be a good race for her and it’s important to get black type with the money John paid for her.’’

The $70,000 Mongolian Khan Trophy on January 26 at Ellerslie is over 1200 metres and is confined to three-year-olds.

“It’s easier for her to get black type at three than any other age so we’ll be concentrating on that this season.’’

A $300,000 yearling buy at New Zealand Bloodstock’s premier sale at Karaka, the Snitzel filly showed good gate speed yesterday to jump straight onto the pace and race just outside and behind the leader What A Smasher to the turn.

Rider Johnathan Parkes sent her to the lead at the 400 metre mark and she kicked strongly to stave off a late burst from More Wonder to win by a neck, never looking likely to be caught.

It was her third win from only six starts and Latta says, given she still doesn’t really know what she’s doing, the future looks bright.

“Johnathan said she’s still a bit green and is learning. She doesn’t know how to let down yet.’’

Tim Johnson, just out of his apprenticeship, found the gaps for Lincoln Raider to score a super impressive win. PHOTO: Race Images.Tim weaves path with Raider

Lincoln Raider’s win five races later was even more impressive as rider Tim Johnson steered him from a seemingly impossible position near the tail of the field on the rails to get up and win, going away, by one and a quarter lengths.

“He has a tendency to get back in his races and it was always going to be hard in an 18-horse field,’’ says Latta.

“But to the boy’s credit he rode him a treat. I told him to come out because with a horse who gets to the line like he does, it’s best to be out in the open.

“But if he’d done what I told him he wouldn’t have won, maybe only weighed in.’’

Latta says Lincoln Raider, a $160,000 yearling by O’Reilly, has always shown a lot, and his record now that he’s four could have been a lot better than two wins from eight starts.

“But we’ve looked after him. We put him aside soon after he went that poor race at Waikato (in April) when the track was no good.

“He went shin sore a couple of times too so we’ve just had to be patient with him.’’

Latta says she’ll take Lincoln Raider through the grades now then target some nice 1600 metre races at Trentham in January and Auckland at the cup carnival in March.

“We’ll probably keep him to 1400 metre races for now but he’ll get up to a mile at least and maybe even 2000 metres.’’

It’s not the first time Latta has trained three winners in a day but she says Trentham is her favourite place to do it.

“Wellington has been a good course to me. Horses can come from anywhere - it’s fair racing without a track bias.’’