Rain no help for talented Rondinella

The heavily rain-affected track was far from suitable, but her class showed through ahead of a possible Australian campaign.

“I put it to the owners whether they wanted to run,” co-trainer Roger James said.

“I wasn’t that keen, but they pointed out we could strike a track like this in Sydney so we needed to know how she would go.”

Rondinella had also performed creditably when runner-up in the Listed Kaimai Stakes on a soft Matamata track at her previous start.

All four of the lightly-raced mare’s wins have come on top of the ground.