Light weight and deep track gives Rapper a chance of being in the call on Saturday

She’s the absolute baby of the field but trainer Lisa Latta is hoping Platinum Rapper’s ability in the mud and her light weight will get her into the money in Saturday’s Opunake Cup.

With New Plymouth already rated a heavy 11, and at least another 25ml of rain predicted in the next two days, the filly should get conditions similar to those when she ran a close third in the weight-for-age Challenge Stakes at Wanganui last month.

What Latta doesn’t know is whether Platinum Rapper, who has had only 12 starts, will handle the Pukekura Park circuit.

“It’s a tricky track and they either handle it or they don’t - a bit like Te Rapa. Predominantly it’s New Plymouth-trained horses who win there.

“But her work has been very good since her last run and she galloped very well again this morning. She’ll strip a lot fitter than last time.”

Latta has turned the page on Platinum Rapper’s last start failure at Awapuni on July 6, putting it squarely down to the two weeks she had in the paddock after her testing Wanganui effort.

Robbie Hannam … rides Platinum Rapper.In a field of seven three-year-olds, way down on the class of her previous race, the filly was under a ride 400 metres out and beat only one home, 3.4 lengths from winner Booty Lara.

“Yes, I was disappointed on the day. But two weeks in the paddock at this time of the year could have done that. She’s obviously taken longer to come back.”

Against a strong field of open gallopers on Saturday, Latta will get a real indication of whether she can be competitive in the $100,000 Winter Cup at Riccarton on August 3.

Five of her rivals are entered for the Riccarton feature winter mile - Rosewood, Comeback, Red Sierra, Herengawe and Ritani.

“If she could weigh in against that field it would be a good run.

“But we already know from the Wanganui run (when beaten only a long neck and a nose by Dolcetto and Rosewood) that she is up to this company and, while this field is slightly stronger, I feel she can be right in the finish.

“When she met Rosewood at weight-for-age at Wanganui there was a 1.5kg difference but she gets 5.5kg this time.”

It was Platinum Raider’s light 53kg handicap that influenced Latta and part-owner Neville McAlister to attack the cup, and not the three-year-old race on the programme, which gives her another chance to earn black type.

Latta says whether Platinum Raider ends up going down to Christchurch to chase more black type will depend on the weather.

“There’s no point going down if the track is going to be a good3 or dead4. They’re just not getting any rain down there. It’s supposed to be a good3 at Oamaru on Sunday and it was a dead4 at Timaru last Friday.

“But that can change very quickly. We’ll just wait and see.”

Manhattan Street … was dominant at two but has been missing since.Latta will take only one other horse for Lincoln Farms to New Plymouth, the long-out-of-form Manhattan Street.

But he’s simply going round in the opening race to get some miles under his belt before being tried over hurdles, a role in which he is showing promise.

It’s been more than a year since Manhattan Street scored and before that he went winless for nearly two years after scoring a hat-trick in the Ryder Stakes as a two-year-old.

Now rising six, Manhattan Street has had two runs back this prep, finishing at the tail at both Wanganui and Awapuni.

Not even Manhattan Street’s liking for deep tracks will help him on Saturday when he meets a couple of smart gallopers in My Gift and Obsessive over 1800 metres.

He has not won past 1200 metres.