By Duane Ranger
Ray Lattimore will bag his half century at Addington raceway tomorrow afternoon.
The 64-year-old Otira resident will make the two-and-a-half hour journey to Christchurch today for what will be his 50th straight New Zealand Cup.
That’s an amazing feat considering there have only been 111 New Zealand Cups run since the inception of the great race in 1904.
“I’ve had some close shaves but I’ve never missed a single Cup since 1966. I was 15 when I saw my first one. That was when Lordship won for Dennis Nyan,” Lattimore said.
But Lattimore had no right to be at 1991 Cup when Tony Herlihy (MNZM) steered Christopher Vance to victory.
“I convinced my wife Helen to come to the Cup. We kept a very close eye on her and then after the big race we rushed off to Lincoln Hospital.
“She gave birth to our youngest son Matt later that evening. A Cup Day baby – what a delight!” Lattimore said.
Eight years earlier Lattimore came within a whisker of missing Steel Jaw’s Cup victory when he had to tell a ‘porkie’ to get in the gate.
“I was driving a furniture truck for a living back then and the only booking I could get was on the Cook Strait Ferry on the morning of the race.
“I really went for it and only got there just on race start. I told the man I the gate I had horses in my truck. He let me park with the other floats and I only just got through the gates in time to see Steel Jaw win by 10 lengths.
“That was the closest I came to missing the race. It’s a ritual and something I will always do so long as I am living,” Lattimore said.
So what was the greatest Cup Lattimore had seen?
“I’ll never forget the race in 1980 when Hands Down and Delightful Lady duelled all the way down the straight. That was very memorable because both horses never gave an inch and either one of them could have won it,” Lattimore said.
“It was a real staying test all right,” he added.
The Christchurch born trotting fanatic likes Smolda in this year’s 112th edition of the Group One feature.
“You can’t go far wrong sticking to the Mark Purdon runners on big days like Cup Day. He has an awesome team and I think Smolda is the pick of them.
“He was a very good young horse and is now just coming to it as an open class pacer. I think he can win it. I also like No Doctor Needed as my roughie,” he said.
Lattimore was born into a harness racing family. His father Percy was a driver in the 1930, who also also worked for Sir Roy Mackenzie and top driver of the day, Roy Berry.
“A lot of people asked me why I never owned a racehorse until later in my life. I just love watching them go around. To me the Cup is a very important part of the annual New Zealand sporting calendar,” he said.
However these days Lattimore does own 2-year-old Mr Aviator filly, Jessie Divine, which he bred from his imported (Australia) David’s Pass mare, Divinable
Even when he was living in Australia Lattimore used to make the annual trek to Christchurch from Brisbane to see Terror To Love (2011 and 2012). And Monkey King win (2010).
Tomorrow he will leave Otira around 9am and spend his Cup Day at his usual posse close the temporary bar near the old stabling enclosure.
“It’s going to be another fantastic day. Being my 50th Cup it will be extra special and I’m sure the race won’t let me down. I wouldn’t miss it for all the tea in China,” Lattimore said.
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