Leith Innes will pilot Platinum Invador in Saturday’s $500,000 Auckland Cup at Ellerslie.
Lethal Leith’s back on Invador for Saturday’s Auckland Cup and Lincoln King draws well
By Barry Lichter • 10 March 2021
Top jockey Leith Innes will be reunited with leading chance Platinum Invador in Saturday’s $500,000 Barfoot & Thompson Auckland Cup at Ellerslie.
And in other good news for Lincoln Farms, this morning’s barrier draw saw both Platinum Invador and Lincoln King draw well for the 3200 metre staying feature.
Platinum Invador will jump from the middle of the field in gate nine and trainer Stephen Marsh’s prayers for a low gate for Lincoln King were answered with slot three.
Innes has not ridden Platinum Invador for 12 months when he finished a brave third in the Auckland Cup after a rocky run and in three other rides on the speedy stayer he won the 2020 City Of Auckland Cup and was pipped a nose in the 2020 Avondale Cup.
Platinum Invador showed he was peaking beautifully for this year’s event when powering home from well back for a close fourth in the Avondale Cup on February 20 after getting into strife under Ryan Elliot turning for home.
Avondale Cup runner-up Sound fared poorly in today’s draw, landing gate 15, with the other two top weights also disadvantaged - In A Twinkling in 16 and 2020 winner Roger That in the outside stall of 17.
Avondale Cup winner Robusto is nicely spotted in six.
Leading jockey Danielle Johnson has confirmed she will ride Lincoln King, who finished less then three lengths behind Robusto in the Avondale Cup after getting well out of his ground.
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Lisa’s comments
Friday at Waverley
Race 5: Lincoln Towers
2.58pm
“I am really happy with him at the moment, his work has been superb. We ended up injecting his knees and he worked great on the course proper on Tuesday morning. He should be very competitive in a field like this but my biggest concern is how much rain is in the forecast. I would be reluctant to start him if the track got to be really wet as we know he has never gone very well on heavy tracks.”