Palacio De Cristal didn’t have a lot of luck last start in the Millie Fox Stakes with a tricky barrier, unhelpful weight and lack of room seriously hampering her run resulting in a hard fought fifth placing.

In the 2011 Coolmore Classic this Saturday at Rosehill things look ready to be turned around with a decent drop in weight and an unusually kind barrier draw giving her a dream start from gate 2.

However for the Grahame Begg trained mare to show her true class this weekend in the Coolmore Classic she needs one more thing to go her way, so connections are praying to the weather gods.

”I have never had her better but our biggest problem looks like being the weather,” Begg said.

”I had a look at the seven-day forecast and it doesn’t look good for Saturday. She doesn’t want any rain at all because she can’t handle any give in the ground.”

He’s not exaggerating either, from five starts on heavy and slow tracks she’s accumulated not a single place, let alone a win.

If the rain would hold off though there will be no shortage of punters taking her at decent $8.00 odds on Luxbet.

Even though her first up run last week only resulted in a fifth, the manner in which it was done showed plenty of guts.

Begg has also insisted the 2011 Coolmore Classic was always the main plan with the Millie Fox simply a good lead up race to put some metres in the legs.

If you fancy your skills as a weatherman and think the rain will hold off over Sydney then it’d be best to take the Luxbet odds as soon as possible.

If the skies remain clear on race day you can expect a flood of money to come in for the Encosta De Lago mare forcing her odds right down.

She’s a quality horse who’s much better than her career record and she’s certainly due for some luck, so why not this weekend in the 2011 Coolmore Classic?

Photo courtesy (c) Taron Clarke Photography