Winton Cup photo finish

Piero, right, wins from Peter Porter, middle, and Fly Solo in the $10,000 Winton Cup yesterday.

Piero won the $10,000 Winton Cup yesterday.

Italian for Peter, Piero had been with two North Island trainers  and considered too slow when he joined Gay Robinson's stable three years ago.

"They reckoned he wasn't fast enough and they even schooled him because he was so slow," Robinson, of Riverton, said.

However, Robinson saw encouraging signs when Piero ran second and then won in his first two trials in Southland. Two months later, Piero won first up at the Riverton Easter meeting in 2007.

Robinson and owner, Morrinsville dairy farmer Peter Doughty, have raced Piero 19 times for six wins, two seconds, two thirds and $38,950.

A meeting between Robinson and Doughty at a Waikato sale led to the Southlander training Piero's dam, Franchice.

"She won one but got injured," Robinson said of Franchice.

Robinson trained Hildegard to finish second to Tartan Tights in the 1995 Winton Cup.

- © Fairfax NZ News

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