Domeland boss aiming high with returning star and in-form stable

1 month ago 4

By Craig Kerry

January 22, 2026 — 5.00pm

Former Godolphin foreman Nacim Dilmi has made a flying start as Domeland’s head trainer this season, but the pressure is on to “step it up a notch” and land more winners for the Central Coast operation on the big stage.

Dilmi hopes stable star Matcha Latte can lead the way towards that goal on Saturday, and into the autumn carnival, and even rise to the $4 million Doncaster Mile.

Ash Morgan rides Matcha Latte to victory in the Provincial-Midway Championship final at Randwick last year.

Last year’s $1 million Provincial-Midway Championship Final winner returns from another injury break in the listed Carrington Stakes (1400m) on Saturday at Randwick.

It will be the six-year-old’s first run under the care of Dilmi, who took over this season from Sara Ryan as trainer of Domeland, which was founded by Hong Kong businessman YP Cheng.

Matcha Latte has come back from career-threatening tendon injuries and a bleeding attack to rack up three wins and seven placings across 17 starts. He returns from a 29-week spell brought on by hoof problems.

Dilmi hopes the patient approach pays off on Saturday, and into the carnival.

“Just to have him back at the races, I wouldn’t call it a miracle, but it’s a great effort from the whole team because he’s had significant injuries throughout his career,” he said.

“After winning the provincial championship, he went to Queensland and he had feet problems and needed a lengthy spell. The owners were on board with that and when he recovered, I said ‘let’s give him another three months’, and things went well.

“He was getting vetted every week and we got him to the first trial, it was an easy trial and he went well. The second, one we put him under more pressure and when we put the work into him, he bounces back every time.

“This race was one we pinpointed early in his prep. We thought if we give him a long break, the end of January would be a good time to get him back to the races.”

Ash Morgan, who rode Matcha Latte to victory in the Provincial-Midway final last April, is aboard on Saturday from gate five, and Dilmi was hopeful of a sharp return after a second in his most recent trial.

Former Godolphin foreman Nacim Dilmi has made a great start as Domeland’s head trainer this season.

“First-up, he probably will need the run,” he said of the $7.50 TAB hope.

“But it’s not as strong a race as I expected, which is great. And I did trial him twice without the blinkers because he is a fairly lazy horse, so I wanted him to be put under pressure.

“His second trial, at Newcastle, I told Ash to give him a decent hit-out.

“The blinkers stay on, Ash knows the horse, he’s been off the scene for quite a while, but he could run really well, too.”

A title defence in the Provincial-Midway series appears an obvious target for Matcha Latte, but Dilmi said Domeland was aiming higher.

“We’ll see, that’s one of our main ones,” he said of the series.

“The final is not until April, so that gives us a bit of time to target the qualifiers, but the owner, Mr Cheng, his favourite race is the Doncaster, so there’s a chance there, if he really shows he’s going to that next level, to be a Doncaster horse.”

Dilmi has had 17 winners at an impressive strike rate 18.9 per cent but only one of those has been in town.

“The boss is happy that we are getting a lot of winners, but he told me the other day we need to step it up a notch, to get the better races, so hopefully this weekend we can get a few nice ones,” he said.

Dilmi hoped for a change in form from Roma Avenue ($41) in the seventh at Randwick, while Piperita needed a wet track and was unlikely to run in the fourth. Humanity ($9.50) was a chance at Canterbury on Friday night.

“The 1900m will suit and his last start at Wyong was very good,” he said of Humanity, which was three-lengths away in the Midway handicap at his home track’s city meeting on January 10.

“He hit the line fairly strongly, he was first up at the mile and now stepping up to 1900. He’s drawn well and I expect him to improve again.”

As for the autumn carnival, Dilmi said his Wyong stable was excited about Dundeel three-year-old Is It Spectacular, which won a Newcastle trial and has another hit-out next Thursday at Rosehill.

“He’s a very nice colt,” he said.

“Hopefully he’s another one we can take to the Championships. If he’s as good as we think he possibly is, he will be heading towards the Guineas and those kinds of races.”