Pencarrow Racing’s Piazzetta (Darci Brahma) broke through for her maiden win today but had to do it the hard way after finishing second in a tight finish and being promoted to first after interference was deemed to have cost him the race.

The Raylene Whiteside trained runner was inconvenienced in the $7,000 Tulloch Café 1400m at Avondale by Little Red Devil who shifted outwards onto Piazzetta as the gelding was challenged for the lead close to the post. The Darci Brahma gelding was beaten by a nose but with the closeness of the margin the interference was deemed significant enough to have the result overturned.

Ridden by Michael Coleman, Piazzetta had enjoyed a cosy run during the race and came outside Little Red Devil who was leading and Piazzetta appeared to have the race within his reach before the interference occurred.

It was apparent after the race that Coleman was confident he should have won the race.

“Michael Coleman was sure he had won when he came back to scale and went to the winners stall in the birdcage so he quite sure he had won it even before the protest,” commented Whiteside.

“We viewed the head on and the margin was only a nose and it was apparent there was interference that took our momentum so Michael was adamant we would have won.

“He has only had four starts, he ran third at his first start, the saddle slipped in his second start and then he ran a narrow second in July with James McDonald aboard and was held up for a run that day.

“He does show us ability but how far he will go I don’t know. He doesn’t like the hard tracks but at the moment there is a bit of give in the ground and he is racing very well.”

Bred by Peter & Philip Vela, Piazzetta is out of Paolino (Housebuster) the Group 2 winner of the Auckland Thoroughbred Breeders Stakes. Paolino is the half-sister to New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year Series winner Sarwatch (Jetball) being out of multiple Group 1 Riverina Charm and has already left the stakes winner Mirandola (O’Reilly). He is by hot young sire Darci Brahma, a Pencarrow Stud yearling graduate.