Rising nine-year-old Kempsey mare Piccolo Miss has been a work in progress to snare her first win in two years for trainers Daniel and Rocky Simonella at Manning Valley Race Club's TAB meeting at Taree last Friday.
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That is how long it has taken to mend her sore feet with various potions, beach and salt water remedy.
She had 10 starts previously on the Bushland Drive Racecourse and never saluted in the first 10 placings.
But her "duck egg" tally came to a celebratory end with top Port Macquarie jockey Ben Looker coming from second last on the turn to score by a head at $3.30 odds.
She won over 1300m and Rocky said:"She is probably better over 1100m.
"She has had 10 starts here for nothing but she can finish."
He said a glimpse of her previous form when she won four races prior to being brought from Melbourne was shown with her 1.4 lengths fifth in a 56 Benchmark race over 1100m at Grafton on July 14, she being rated as a 45 Benchmark horse.
Looker said the speed was out of the race due to a scratching and the mare was "tough to the line."
Rocky said Piccolo Miss had been "a nightmare" with feet problems..."she was always sore, had soft feet and bruised easily.
"She is a lovely mare which you can do anything with.
"You can sit on her and she won't move."
The training pair were originally into gallopers and trotters on the Gold Coast for 15 years before moving base to Kempsey about 12 months ago.
"We are central to all the racecourses and we do our slow work in the sand and salt water at Crescent Head."
The team has seven in work and have seven boxes at the racecourse at Kempsey.
"Piccolo Miss likes to settle in her races and finish off," he said.
"It is a relief that she has finally won for us after two years.
"We have found the end of the rainbow."
Footnote: The stable made it two wins in a row with Rogue Missile ($10.50 TAB), ridden by Jon Grisedale, at Coffs Harbour on Sunday.
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