Pendant waiting for Mona Lisa winner Modella

Her backers may have been nervous for much of the running of the Mona Lisa Stakes at Wyong, but after an ice cold ride from Zac Lloyd provided Modella with a breakthrough stakes win, connections have their sights set on Sydney Group races.

The mare was buried well back on the fence on the tight Wyong circuit on Friday, but Lloyd was able to extricate the five-year-old into the clear in the straight where she unleashed a powerful burst to clinch victory in the $250,000 race.

Co-trainer Cherie Curtis put the Group 2 Golden Pendant at Rosehill on September 26 on the agenda for the daughter of Castelvecchio, who is her sire’s seventh stakes winner.

Lloyd described Modella as a “very good horse”.

“On form, she was a good thing in this race, but it’s just obviously tricky when you’re on a back marker,” Lloyd told Sky Racing.

“She had a lot of work to do there, but she’s come back very well. Lee and Cherie (Curtis) have done a very good job with her, she’s in very good form.”