There were a few hard luck stories in Saturday's Listed Alinghi Stakes (1100m) at Caulfield, although little could be taken away from the winner Palazzo Pubblico who raced wide the entire trip before finishing best to earn her second stakes victory.
Ridden by Steven Arnold, the Matthew Smith-trained mare was racing first-up since the Brisbane winter carnival where she earned her first black-type win in the Listed Bright Shadow Stakes at Doomben.
The five-year-old daughter of Conatus finished powerfully to defeat Aegean Sea (Beneteau) by a short neck with
Arnold said the plan was to go back from an outside barrier.
"She's been
"With the wind playing the way it is it was critical I got some cover and I probably settled a little further back than I intended.
"I was confident that if I could get some cover and she switched off then she'd sprint well at the finish.
"Matthew (Smith) brought her down in good order and he told me she sprints well fresh - when I asked her off the
Palazzo Pubblico advances her overall record to 7 wins, 1 second and 2 thirds from 20 starts for earnings of $354,340.
The Gerry Harvey homebred is the second foal and second winner for the unraced General Nediym mare Piazza Del Campo who is a daughter of the grand Tasmanian mare My Sienna (Weasel Clause) whose six wins included the Group II Wakeful Stakes and Group II Edward Manifold Stakes and was runner-up in the Group 1 Victorian Oaks.
My Sienna left seven
She proved to be a disappointment but Palazzo Pubblico becomes her second stakes-winning granddaughter.
My Sienna's first foal, the unraced Danehill mare Pink City, is the dam of the More Than Ready mare Moreish the winner of the Group III Western Australian Oaks and Listed Ascot One Thousand Guineas and runner-up in the Group II Western Australian Derby.
Piazza Del Campo has a 2yo filly by Big Brown (USA) and a yearling colt by Congrats (USA). She was bred back to Stratum last spring.
