Cahill bounces back from fall at Doomben
By Stephen Rodgers
BRISBANE, May 21 AAP – Concussed one week, winning black-type races the next.
That was the roller-coaster week Michael Cahill experienced when winning on Palazzo Pubblico in the Bright Shadow Handicap at Doomben on Saturday.
Seven days earlier, Cahill suffered concussion when he took a tumble from Artlee shortly after passing the winning post in the BTC Cup (1200m).
Taking no long-term affects from the fall, Cahill bounced back aboard Palazzo Pubblico who collected her first win at black-type level in the Bright Shadow.
Palazzo Pubblico ($7) continued the early pattern of winners racing close to the fence when she defeated Serenade ($10) by three quarters of a length with Miss Tenpins ($5.50) a similar margin away third.
Cahill was impressed with how strongly Palazzo Pubblico travelled throughout the race.
“She travelled like the winner all the way and finished the race off very well,” Cahill said.
“Sometimes you worry they won’t finish it off when they travel that strongly but she certainly did.”
Trainer Matthew Smith is non-comittal about extending the winter carnival campaign of Palazzo Pubblico.
Smith believes the mare races best when her races are spaced.
For that reason he will wait before deciding whether to keep Palazzo Pubblico in work for another Brisbane start or spell her and aim towards a Melbourne campaign in the spring.
Smith admitted he harboured some niggling doubts whether Palazzo Pubblico would run the 1200m out strongly.
“A couple of times in Sydney she’s been a bit soft at the end of 1100 metres but she ran the trip right out today,” he said.
“When she drew well in this race it was an easy decision to run her and she got a soft run which certainly helped.”