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| Staff Writer |
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Pierossa, trained by Peter and Paul Snowden, pulled off a stunning victory in the $200,000 Gr.3 Spring Stakes at Newcastle.
After racing in the middle of the pack under cover for much of the run, jockey Sam Clipperton drew her out to the front of the pack and unleashed a devastating final acceleration, allowing her to defeat the pre-race favourite Robusto by a neck and win the race.
The victory was not easy. Clipperton remarked, "I've had a lot of time for this filly for a good while."
Her pre-race antics were legendary: "She used to put on quite a show before the start, and she got me at Canterbury in her very first start, and she got defeated by a nose that day."
Now we just have to work with her to break those habits, and I will admit that she has shown significant improvement in her racing abilities.
She's a filly you have to get every last drop out of, yet she digs in her heels and works hard for you.
To paraphrase her trainer, "I think this filly is going to be an even more mature horse in the autumn, and particularly as she gets up to those 2000m and beyond distances."
Co-trainer Paul Snowden appreciated the effort his crew put into the troubled galloper but thinks there may be "greater fish to fry" as she continues to make progress.
A young horse with a bad attitude, "she's come a long way," Snowden remarked of the animal.
There was no doubt that she would grow and develop into a better person as she got older, and the team has done a great job with her. To the team's credit, we were able to smooth out some rough spots.
I'm convinced she has more mileage in the tank. It was a long way, but I was confident she could make it. It was encouraging to see her emerge as the victor so late in the game.
On Monday, she'll be out in the paddock, and from then until late autumn/early Brisbane, we'll be monitoring her.