A lightly raced filly by D’Argento stamped herself as a filly with Oaks potential after storming to an impressive maiden win at Scone on Friday.
With two seconds and a fourth from her three previous starts, the Matthew Smith trained filly Placid Pearl was stepping out to 2200m for this Class 1 assignment and punters were confident she was the one to be on.
Ridden by Andrew Adkins, she relished the staying trip and opened up to win by more than two lengths.
Her sire D’Argento won the Group I ATC Rosehill Guineas at 2000m and has three runners in the Group I ATC Spring Champion Stakes on Saturday, so it’s not hard to imagine Matthew Smith may be thinking Melbourne for Placid Pearl if she comes out of this win on the up.
A $100,000 Inglis Classic Highway Session purchase for her trainer from the Riversdale/Ashleigh Thoroughbreds draft, Placid Pearl was a successful pinhook having been bought for just $15,000 from the Erinvale Thoroughbreds draft at the Inglis Weanling Sale.
Placid Pearl is the second winner from South Pearl, an unplaced High Chaparral(IRE) daughter of stakes-placed South Sea Pearl, who was Group I placed in the Australasian Oaks and South Australian Oaks.
The family also features Group winning stayers Storm, Runaway Groom and Regal Sea, so there is plenty in the pedigree to suggest Placid Pearl has more to offer.
Placid Pearl is the fourth winner this season for Bowness Stud’s D’Argento, who stands at a fee of $16,500.
