Petella

Petella was an impressive winner of a two-mile handicap at Yarmouth on Thursday. The daughter of Tamure missed the break slightly, with the result that she had to be held up in last place of the 14-runner field, and she was still last as they turned for home. But she gradually started to make ground up the straight, widest of all up the centre of the track. She took it up just before the furlong pole and kicked on to pull away from Any Given Moment, who looked to be going really well in front three furlongs out, before going on to win impressively.

Although this was only Class 5 staying handicap, Petella looked good, she came from last at the top of the home straight to win by six lengths in the end, on a day when the ground was tacky and it was difficult to make ground from the rear.

A stoutly-bred filly, Petella seems to have improved markedly this season, never finishing out of the first three in eight runs to date. On her previous run at Ripon she showed a nice turn of foot to come from well back and pick it up, but she probably got there too early and was just run out of it. Adam Beschizza timed his run well here, this was almost certainly a career-best, and she is on a nice upward curve now. She has won on fast ground but she looked impressive here on a softer surface, and given that she has only raced on an easy surface once before, which was on her racecourse debut, it could be that she has a liking for easier ground and that she is a better horse on it. She will probably be upped in grade now but there is every chance that there is more to come and she will be interesting next time.

16th September 2010