The deteriorating track conditions at Awapuni, where a Soft 5 surface turned into a Heavy 10 due to persistent rain throughout the day, proved to be a perfect scenario for local contender Belardo Boy.
The five-year-old, trained by Lisa Latta, relished the challenging conditions as he claimed victory in the Group 3 Metric Mile (1600m).
Belardo Boy was making his first appearance after a brief spell following his triumph in the Group 3 Winter Cup (1600m) at Riccarton in early August.
Ahead of Saturday's race, he had been prepared with a solid 1200m trial at Foxton, and it was evident that he was in excellent shape for the task at hand. Under the guidance of jockey Joe Doyle, Belardo Boy surged down the outer part of the track, overtaking stablemates Ladies Man and Justaskme in the final 100m of a fiercely contested event.
2023 Group 3 Metric Mile Replay – Belardo Boy | T: Lisa Latta | J: Joe Doyle
Lisa Latta, who had already celebrated success earlier in the day with Old Town Road, was delighted with Belardo Boy's victory and praised Joe Doyle's well-executed ride on the challenging track.
She remarked, “He got in with a nice weight today (54.5kgs) and relaxed a treat from a nice draw. Joe can ride light and that is a big assist as he is riding very well. I'm not convinced he is a true heavy tracker, but it's a Spring heavy track today which he can handle.”
Looking ahead, Latta revealed her plans for Belardo Boy, stating, “We will probably go to the Thompson Handicap at Trentham next. He's starting to get up in the weights now, but we will look to go there as he goes so well at Wellington.”
Belardo Boy has accumulated eight wins from 30 starts and earned over $260,000 in prizemoney.
Remarkably, Latta acquired him for just $28,000 from the Haunui Farm draft during the Book 2 Sale at Karaka in 2020. His dam, L'Amour, also trained by Latta, secured seven victories and achieved stakes placements. Additionally, Belardo Boy has close ties to the dual Group One winner, Julinsky Prince.
The race favourite, Ladies Man, put in a commendable performance, finishing closely in second place in only his third start in a new campaign. Meanwhile, stablemate Justaskme displayed resilience as he battled home under the topweight of 60.5kgs, under the guidance of trainer Allan Sharrock.