Platinum Gets the Gold

Group 1 winning filly Platinum Witness (California Dane) showed her class with a dominant win in yesterday’s Group 3 $70,000 Wellfield Desert Gold Stakes at Trentham, returning her to the top of the NZB Filly of the Year Leaderboard.

Platinum Witness cruises to victory in the Group 3 Wellfield Desert Gold Stakes. Photo courtesy of Trish Dunell.

Bred by Paul and Cushla Smithies of Monovale Farm, Platinum Witness was one of two stakes winners bred and sold by Monovale Farm yesterday with Puccini (NZ) (Encosta de Lago) winning the Group 1 Thorndon Mile later in the day at Trentham.

Monovale Farm has three horses catalogued in the Karaka Premier Sale which commences tomorrow.

Yesterday’s race was Platinum Witness’s first run since winning the Group 1 NZB 1000 Guineas in November for trainer Lisa Latta. The win was the daughter of California Dane’s third career victory, all coming at stakes level.

“Obviously when you go that long without a run and fresh up over a mile there is some concern,” commented Latta. “When I got her to the trial after she had to be scratched I was pretty sure I had her where she needed to be.”

Collecting 6 points for her Group 3 victory, Platinum Witness has returned to the top of the Leaderboard for the NZB Filly of the Year Series with only four races remaining.

Rider Darryl Bradley positioned Platinum Witness mid-field, only three lengths off the leader Attention Seeker (NZ) (Fast ‘n’ Famous). At the top of the straight Platinum Witness was travelling the best and cruised up at the 200m to hit the front. She raced away from the field under little pressure from Bradley to win by two-lengths from Attention Seeker with Exquisite Jewel (NZ) (Lucky Unicorn) finishing into third.

“She will go to the Sir Tristram Fillies Classic at Waikato in a fortnight,” stated Latta. “She holds a nomination for the Derby and the Oaks. The Sir Tristram will be a lot stronger field and we will get a better line on her there and see which way we head after that.

“It was great for Monovale Farm as well, they had a day and a half!

“She is a very strong filly and has a beautiful head on her. She really caught my eye as yearling.”

Saturday’s win was Platinum Witness’s third victory from 11 starts and took her earnings to $297,900 for John Street’s Lincoln Farms Ltd and Neville McAlister.

Latta purchased Platinum Witness for $55,000 at the 2013 Karaka Select Sale from Monovale Farm.

Platinum Witness is out of multiple stakes winning mare Chartreuse (St Petersburg), a half-sister to the dam of another multiple stakes winner Zennista (Zenno Rob Roy).

Sitting on 18 points at the top of the Filly of the Year Series is Platinum Witness, ahead of Saavoya (NZ) (Savabeel) on 16 points. Attention Seeker earned another 3 points in the Series, doubling her total to 6 points and Exquisite Jewel collected her first points in the Series with 1.5 points

Attention Seeker is the new leader of the Wellfield Triple Crown Series following her second placing. She also finished second in the Group 3 Eulogy Stakes, which was the first leg of the Series, and now has 4 points in the Series, 1 point clear of Platinum Witness and Choice (NZ) (Mastercraftsman). Exquisite Jewel is on 1 point with her third placing.

The final race of the Wellfield Triple Crown, and the Filly of the Year Series, is the Group 1 Wellfield New Zealand Oaks on 14 March at Trentham.

To view the NZB Filly of the Year Leaderboard, click here.