Lisa has Ace up her sleeve with apprentice claiming 3kg on promising Platinum Attack

Trainer Lisa Latta is confident apprentice Ace Lawson-Carroll can do a good job on Platinum Attack when he tilts at a hat-trick at Trentham on Saturday.

Lawson-Carroll’s 3kg allowance will bring down Platinum Attack’s weight to just 55kg in the three-year-old event, 3.5kg less than he carried to win at his last start.

And with just one rival, Bodacious Kate, carded to carry a lighter weight, and only five rivals opposing him, Latta expects the promising galloper to be very hard to beat.

“He’s not a difficult horse to ride and Ace is an under-rated rider. He’s only one win away from being a 2kg claimer so I was happy to put him on here and get 3kg.

“In a small field it will be a race of tactics but if Ace can get some cover and the horse does everything right, I expect him to win again.”

Latta makes no secret of the fact the Santos three-year-old is the most exciting horse she’s trained for Lincoln Farms’ owners John and Lynne Street, and their partner Neville McAlister, for some time.

“He’s still got a bit to learn - he’s far from the finished product - and while he used to over-do it a bit, he’s pretty good now.

“But I do think he is doing everything on natural ability at the moment.”

Platinum Attack (Jonathan Riddell) reels in Perfectsister at Otaki last start. PHOTO: Peter Rubery/Race Images.Latta and rider Jonathan Riddell were taken by the improvement Platinum Attack showed at his last start when he came from off the pace to reel in Perfectsister close to the post at Otaki.

Fast closing sectionals

Keen to avoid the inside running, which was off after rain, Riddell steered a wider course around the turn and down the stretch, powering home to record faster closing sectionals than open sprint winner Tavattack, clocking 34.24 (Tavattack 34.64), 22.89 (23.57) and 11.22 (11.7) for his 600, 400 and 200.

Latta isn’t worried by the fact he comes back to 1000 metres on Saturday, a distance he won over two starts back at Tauherenikau, Trentham’s 1000 metres riding more like a 1200 on other smaller tracks.

And the weather gods seem to have smiled on Latta, the course reading improving from a soft 7 earlier in the week to a soft 5, the same rating as when he won at Tauherenikau, with a clear forecast for the next couple of days.

The only glitch in Platinum Attack’s form line was on January 4 when he did not handle the soft 6 conditions at Otaki.

Don’t expect to see too much more of Platinum Attack ($2.80) this season, Latta saying she plans to give him a light prep and look after him.

The horse’s only dangers on Saturday, she believes, are Allan Sharrock’s Bella Timing ($2.80) and Te Akau’s Tightly Laced ($2.70).