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Parkes booked for key Cup ride; Griffin victorious at Wairoa

Parkes booked for key Cup ride

Johnathan Parkes will be reunited with Five To Midnight for next month's Gr.1 Barfoot & Thompson Auckland Cup (3200m) at Ellerslie.

Parkes was at a wedding last weekend when Jonathan Riddell guided the Lisa Latta-trained Domesday six-year-old to third placing in the Gr.2 Avondale Cup (2400m) at Ellerslie but had been the regular rider this season of last year's Auckland Cup runner-up.

Latta was thrilled with Five To Midnight's Avondale Cup run and was looking forward to the Auckland Cup in which he meets last Saturday's winner Glory Days 4 kilograms better.

"He's come through the run well. He went to the paddock for a couple of days and he's good. He's on track for the Auckland Cup," Latta said.

Griffin victorious at Wairoa

Well related galloper Griffin picked up the third win of his career at Wairoa on Thursday when he took out the Paddy Kennedy Memorial (1300m).

The Jamie Richards-trained runner was sent forward early by apprentice jockey Chelsea Burdan to sit outside the leader Ottavio.

The full-brother to three-time Group One winner Gingernuts took the lead turning for home and was able to hold out is rivals to win by half a length over Nuclear Fusion, with a further neck back to Comeback in third.

“He’s been a bit of a slow maturing horse, but he is getting there,” stable representative Paul Richards said. “Chelsea rode him exactly how we talked about and did a good job.”