Warrnambool mare Spirit Song ran third in 1600-metre race at Moonee Valley on Saturday.
Spirit Song lumped the top weight of 59 kilograms and was defeated by the lowly-weighted mares Star Of Giselle and Tavarnelle.
Trainer Aaron Purcell said he was pleased with Spirit Song’s effort.
“She did a great job carrying 59kg,” he said on Saturday.
“She races on heart. She never gives in, which she showed again today. She just had no luck. You’ve got to get everything going right for you when you carry 59kg.
“She only jumped fairly and then copped a bit of a squeeze, which forced her out the back. She then had to make up too much ground to the front runners.”
The trainer is looking forward to running Spirit Song at the big four-day Flemington carnival before heading to Perth for feature races.
Flemington races on the agenda are the $1 million group 1 Mackinnon Stakes (2000m) or the $500,000 group 1 Myer Classic (1600m) on Saturday, while her goals the following weekend could include the $1 million group 1 Emirates Stakes (1600m) or the $300,000 group 2 Matriarch Stakes (2000m).
“I still have not made up my mind which race she will run in at Flemington,” Purcell said.
“The races at Flemington which we’ve earmarked are all top-class races.
“We’ve got a few days before we make any final decisions about the Flemington race we will target.
“She’s in career-best form, even though she is not winning.”
Perth races on the radar for the five-year-old mare are the $1 million group 1 Railway Stakes (1600m) on November 24 and the $500,000 group 1 Kingston Town Classic (1800m) on December 8. Both races are run at Ascot.