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By Ray Hickson

A timely shift in fortunes for promising mare Modella has co-trainer Cherie Curtis quietly confident her run of bad luck can end at Rosehill on Saturday.

Lee and Cherie Curtis (Pic: Bradley Photos).

Curtis, who co-trains with husband Lee, has had to endure watching Modella “take her medicine” and concede impossible starts in her two runs this campaign but senses the Midway Handicap (1400m) is her big opportunity.

Modella, $2.70 with TAB on Thursday, has drawn ideally as far as Curtis is concerned in six and she says her performances in her two recent runs should stack up.

“We had her in the Midway two weeks ago and we opted to go for the Golden Pendant and have a crack at that company,’’ she said.

“We think she is stakes grade, but she’s had no luck with barriers at all.

“When you’re a midfield or off midfield sort of horse and you’re drawing wide gates you have to take your medicine or you’re forced to be racing three wide.

“It’s nice for her to be able to draw a gate, she’ll settle up with a bit of cover not too far off the pace and it’ll give her a good chance of winning.”

In her first-up run Modella produced race best sectionals to run into third behind African Daisy in a 1200m Midway and was again a victim of circumstances in the Group 2 Golden Pendant.

Curtis said her sectionals in that race were a bit hidden, given she weakened late, but they showed there was plenty of merit in the run.

Punter’s Intelligence showed she ran the fastest 600m-200m of 22.19 and while she held on well an early move took the sting out of her finish.

“Tyler (Schiller) went early on Brigidine Gal and Jason (Collett) took the cart up,’’ she said.

“I thought Tyler went too early and we’ve followed too early so she’s peaked on her run. She’s had to do too much work.

“Racing is about luck. You need your horse to be well, you need a good barrier, and you need the track to be playing in your favour.”

There’s every chance Modella will be given another look at a stakes race this spring but first Curtis wants to repay her connections.

“You want your benchmark to go up to get into stakes grade but I just want to win races for the owners, and for us,’’ she said.

“I’m pretty confident she will go close.”

It’s been a similar story for stablemate Bauhinia who has also struck it lucky with an inside barrier in the Group 3 $250,000 The Nivison (1200m).

The mare showed a different side to herself third-up when she sat handy before being run down late by the promising Idle Flyer over 1400m at Randwick three weeks ago.

Curtis said it’s taken Bauhinia a little bit of time to get her confidence back after striking a couple of unsuitable surfaces and is expecting her to be competitive.

“Last start was excellent, I thought she was home,’’ she said.

Modella's last start in the Golden Pendant

“She settled closer to the speed last start which was good. She’s back 200m but I’m not too worried about it because of the way she raced.

“She should be midfield somewhere with cover and should have a good turn of foot at the end of it. It gives her a chance to position up from a nice spot and Tommy (Berry) can rate her from there.”

All the fields, form and replays for Saturday’s meeting at Rosehill