PMC FINAL WINNER STRIVING FOR STRADBROKE BERTH AT BRISBANE DEBUT

PROVINCIAL-MIDWAY Championships Final winner Matcha Latte has an important mission at his first Queensland appearance at Doomben on Saturday.

Wyong trainer Sara Ryan believes her talented gelding needs to win or at least run second in the Group 3 BRC Sprint (1350m) to ensure a berth in the $3m Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) at Eagle Farm on June 14.

Ryan, who has done a tremendous job as Domeland’s head trainer and will finish her tenure at season’s end, would dearly like to win a major before branching out on her own, also basing herself at Wyong with stables on course.

She has Brisbane jockey Kyle Wilson-Taylor on standby to ride Matcha Latte in the BRC Sprint, which guarantees the winner a berth in the line-up for Brisbane’s time-honoured feature sprint.

“Kyle has a booking for another runner, but it’s not looking as though that horse will get a run on Saturday, so hopefully he will be okay for Matcha Latte,” Ryan said this morning.

Thirty-seven horses were nominated for the BRC Sprint, and 16 can run with provision for five emergencies.

“At this stage I’m not certain we will make the Stradbroke field,” Ryan said.

“Obviously we’re in if he wins the BRC Sprint, but finishing second also will help before the weights are issued.”

Matcha Latte last raced when a gallant fourth to wet track specialist Punch Lane in the Group 3 Hawkesbury Gold Cup (1600m) on May 3 on a ‘Heavy 8’ surface (fifth placegetter Tavi Time won last Friday’s Listed Scone Cup, 1600m).

“I haven’t done a lot with him since Hawkesbury, so he’s fresh enough to come back to 1350m,” Ryan said.

Stablemate Attractable (Nash Rawiller) also contests the BRC Sprint, with the pair to be floated north tomorrow evening.

Ryan is happy with 2023 Big Dance winner Attractable’s progress after a lengthy layoff, but considers Matcha Latte the pick of her pair.

“Attractable hasn’t raced since last year’s Scone Cup, and I gave him another trial at Warwick Farm last Tuesday (which he won over 1200m) rather than kick him off in the Luskin Star Stakes (1300m) at Scone last Saturday,” she said.

“He has had three trials now, but given he hasn’t raced for 12 months, he will take good benefit from Saturday’s race.”

Ryan has tagged the Listed The Wayne Wilson (1600m) at the Stradbroke meeting on June 14 as Attractable’s Brisbane target.

“He has won three times at 1600m, and won second-up a couple of times,” she said. “It looks a perfect race for him.”

Ryan also has Brisbane winter carnival plans for lightly-raced pair Piperita and I Am Carrot.

Piperita, a three-year-old daughter of Pierata, has raced only six times for two wins, including a Kensington victory on Anzac Day against her own sex in a Benchmark 64 Handicap (1400m) with 59kg.

Castelvecchio youngster I Am Carrot has started twice, and ran third in a 2YO Handicap (1400m), also on the Kensington track last Wednesday after jumping from the outside barrier, at his latest appearance.

Piperita will step up to Group 3 company in the $300,000 Fred Best Classic (1400m) against her own age at set weights at Eagle Farm on Saturday week, whilst I Am Carrot heads to the Listed The Phoenix (1500m) for two-year-olds, also at set weights, at the same track a week later.

On her impending move to branch out as a public trainer, Ryan said she felt it was time to do so and has been able to secure around 30 boxes at Wyong.

Story John Curtis, May 20, 2025 - Pics Bradley Photos