PIETRO Mascagni drew away easily to win a MR79 Handicap over 1500m at the Vaal on Thursday.

The subject of a controversial merit rating debate recently, Pietro Mascagni raced off a merit 79 and beat older horses by 1.50-lengths and more in the hands of Anthony Delpech. His rating was adjusted to 87 on Friday morning.

“Pietro Mascagni ran well below expectations in the Dingaans which gave the rats and mice on social media a chance to have a full go at us, but with this win he proved his ability, and how well handicapped he was for the race, ” said Mike.

“Most of the jockeys got the pace wrong in the Dingaans and several ran below par. You can draw a line through that run.  Pietro Mascagni is a smart horse, he will improve more. He is a handful and we will have to consider gelding him, but he’s beautifully bred so we’ll see how he goes in the Highveld Autumn Season.”

Pietro Mascagni is by Silvano from Jodie, by Western Winter, and races for Sheikh Hamdan. He was a R2,3-million purchase from the National Yearling Sale in 2016.

Photo: JC Photos.