VERSILIA POWERS TO VICTORY

Snitzel mare Versilia showed a powerful turn of foot to claim her maiden victory at Pakenham on Thursday night.

The writing had been on the wall at her last two starts with the well-bred mare finishing runner-up at both her first two runs this preparation. 

However the addition of blinkers and a confident front-running ride from in-form jockey Ben Melham saw the four-year-old prove far too strong for her rivals over 1400m. 

Melham eased her down in the concluding stages for the soft victory.

"It was pretty straight forward, from the good draw I just kept her out trouble and she bowled along nicely and let down strongly at the finish for what was a good win," Melham said.

The gun jockey said he was confident we would be seeing Versilia racing competitively in town in the not too distant future. 

Pic by Racing Photos