Sofia Rosa
Trish Dunell
Sofia Rosa's Melbourne spring carnival campaign has been cut short with the New Zealand mare to return home for a spell.
Her connections abandoned their Gr.1 Caulfield Cup plans for the four-year-old after she failed to flatter in the Gr.1 Turnbull Stakes at Flemington on Sunday.
"She's not where we would want her to be – she's just growing and changing a bit and we don't want to knock her around," said Bruce Perry, racing manager to the mare's Wellington-based owner Lib Petagna.
"She's going to come home for a break and then we'll get back and ready for the autumn."
The Stephen Marsh-trained Sofia Rosa, who won last season's Gr.1 ATC Oaks, had performed satisfactorily in her first two outings in Melbourne, but she could only beat one runner home in the Underwood.
"She travelled lovely through the whole race, but just hasn't fired in the straight," rider Danielle Johnson said. "She hasn't come up this time in."
Petagna is also a part-owner of the $A1 million Gr.1 VRC Oaks hope Eleonora, who was denied room in the straight when out of the money in the Gr.2 Edward Manifold Stakes.
The Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman-prepared filly had been an impressive winner of her previous start at Geelong.
Meanwhile, her stablemate Saracino is at the top of his game ahead of Saturday's $A1 million Gr.1 Caulfield Guineas.
"We're very happy with him, you just need a bit of luck at this level," Perry said.
Saracino was a first-up winner in Australia of the Gr.2 Danehill Stakes before he finished fifth in the Gr.3 Caulfield Guineas Prelude.
Petagna's dual Group One winner Lucia Valentina, who is trained by Kris Lees, has also done well since she finished third in the Gr.1 Underwood Stakes.
"She won't run again before the Cox Plate, she's ready to go," Perry said. – NZ Racing Desk.
Her connections abandoned their Gr.1 Caulfield Cup plans for the four-year-old after she failed to flatter in the Gr.1 Turnbull Stakes at Flemington on Sunday.
"She's not where we would want her to be – she's just growing and changing a bit and we don't want to knock her around," said Bruce Perry, racing manager to the mare's Wellington-based owner Lib Petagna.
"She's going to come home for a break and then we'll get back and ready for the autumn."
The Stephen Marsh-trained Sofia Rosa, who won last season's Gr.1 ATC Oaks, had performed satisfactorily in her first two outings in Melbourne, but she could only beat one runner home in the Underwood.
"She travelled lovely through the whole race, but just hasn't fired in the straight," rider Danielle Johnson said. "She hasn't come up this time in."
Petagna is also a part-owner of the $A1 million Gr.1 VRC Oaks hope Eleonora, who was denied room in the straight when out of the money in the Gr.2 Edward Manifold Stakes.
The Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman-prepared filly had been an impressive winner of her previous start at Geelong.
Meanwhile, her stablemate Saracino is at the top of his game ahead of Saturday's $A1 million Gr.1 Caulfield Guineas.
"We're very happy with him, you just need a bit of luck at this level," Perry said.
Saracino was a first-up winner in Australia of the Gr.2 Danehill Stakes before he finished fifth in the Gr.3 Caulfield Guineas Prelude.
Petagna's dual Group One winner Lucia Valentina, who is trained by Kris Lees, has also done well since she finished third in the Gr.1 Underwood Stakes.
"She won't run again before the Cox Plate, she's ready to go," Perry said. – NZ Racing Desk.
