Zennista (NZ) Captures Caloundra Cup

Kiwi Zennista’s (NZ) (Zenno Rob Roy x Zarnistsa) win in the Listed A$200,000 Yalumba Caloundra Cup (2400m) on Saturday capped off a successful Australian tour for Awapuni-based trainer Lisa Latta. 

Zennista (NZ) Captures Caloundra Cup

Kiwi Zennista’s (NZ) (Zenno Rob Roy x Zarnistsa) win in the Listed A$200,000 Yalumba Caloundra Cup (2400m) on Saturday capped off a successful Australian tour for Awapuni-based trainer Lisa Latta. 

Latta has already achieved stakes success in Sydney and Brisbane with Platinum Kingdom, and Zennista has collected some promising results with a fourth in the Group 3 Lord Mayor’s Stakes at Doomben, third in the Group 3 Premiers Cup on the same track, and third in the Group 2 Brisbane Cup at her most recent start before her win this weekend. 

Jockey Damian Browne had Zennista in the perfect position rounding the turn and never looked in danger of defeat down the home straight, taking the win by two-and-a-quarter lengths from Voila Ici with another two-and-three-quarter lengths to Rothera in third place.

"It was a beautiful ride by Damian. He knows all these tracks so well,” said winning trainer Lisa Latta.

"She is booked to go home on Tuesday but there is the two mile race next week (the Queen's Cup).”

The winner of two Listed races and a Group 3 in New Zealand, Zennista takes her overall record to 7 wins, 8 seconds and 4 thirds from 33 starts for earnings of $389,758

Bred by John Berger, Zennista was purchased by Lisa Latta Racing Stables for $20,000 from Oxford Thoroughbreds at New Zealand Bloodstock's 2009 Festival Sale.

She is the third foal of the winning Maroof (USA) mare Zarnitsa a half-sister to multiple Listed winner Chartreuse (St Petersburg).

Zennista is one of four stakes-winners sired by Japan Horse of the Year Zenno Rob Roy (JPN). The Japan Cup winning son of Sunday Silence stood for one season at stud in New Zealand leaving 43 live foals, and one season in Australia in 2007, leaving just 30 foals.