Another Thompson-Winning Karaka Graduate for Latta

For the second year in a row, Awapuni trainer Lisa Latta has taken a Karaka graduate to Trentham and won the $100,000 Group Three Gee & Hickton Funeral Directors Thompson Handicap (1600m).

Latta won last year’s edition of the race with He’s A Doozy (NZ) (Zacinto), who she bought for $70,000 from Book 1 of Karaka 2019 and who has earned $491,925 from a 26-start, eight-win career. On Saturday Latta went back-to-back, winning the 2023 Thompson with Diss Is Dramatic (NZ) (Dissident). Bought by Go Racing for $60,000 from Book 1 of Karaka 2021, the mare has won five of her 16 starts and $223,320 in stakes.

Previously the winner of the Listed Champagne Stakes (1200m) as a two-year-old and the Group Three War Decree Stakes (1600m) as a three-year-old, Diss Is Dramatic added a third black-type victory to her CV with an impressive performance in Saturday’s Trentham feature.

The four-year-old settled in third position for jockey Tina Comignaghi before attempting to take a gap between the two leaders soon after rounding the home turn. That gap closed, but Comignaghi was able to eventually find a way through and Diss Is Dramatic took care of the rest. The classy mare quickened smartly to put a gap between her and the rest of the field.

Mazzolino (NZ) (Savabeel) produced a strong late run to get within a length at the finish line, but Diss Is Dramatic remained out of reach and scored an emphatic win.

“That was a great performance today,” Latta said. “She drew the inside gate and was able to enjoy an economical run during the race. It briefly looked like she might be a bit unlucky early in the straight, but Tina was able to get her into the open and she finished it off really strongly.

“As long as she pulls up well from this, she’ll head down to Christchurch next month for the Coupland’s Mile (Group Three, 1600m).”

Diss Is Dramatic was bred by Cambridge Stud owners Brendan and Jo Lindsay. She is out of Our Drahma Queen (NZ) (Darci Brahma), a winning half-sister to Group One winner Suavito (NZ) (Thorn Park) and the Group One-placed Sultan Of Swing (NZ) (Bachelor Duke).