Jockey of the Carnival Nash Rawiller is certain that Pierro will run out a strong 1600m in the Group 1 $400,000 Moet & Chandon Champagne Stakes at Randwick tomorrow and secure the two year old Triple Crown.
Pierro will attempt to secure two-year-old Triple Crown in the Champagne Stakes - photo (c) Steve Hart
Rawiller has teamed up with the powerful Gai Waterhouse stable with five Group 1 victories over the Sydney Autumn Carnival and Pierro has been responsible for two of them, the $3.5m AAMI Golden Slipper (1200m) at Rosehill on April 7 and the $500,000 Inglis Sires Produce Stakes (1400m) at Randwick on April 14.
The pair also combined with More Joyous’ two Group one wins in the $400,000 Inglis Queen Of The Turf Stakes (1500m) at Rosehill on April 7 and last week’s $2m BMW Doncaster Mile (1600m) at Randwick as well as Laser Hawk winning the $500,000 Flinders Lane Rosehill Guineas (2000m) at Rosehill on March 31.
And Rawiller and Waterhouse haven’t finish yet with Pierro the raging hot favourite at $1.40 in the Champagne Stakes and More Joyous the new favourite in the Group 1 $500,000 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) at $2.45.
Rawiller said he is looking forward to stepping Pierro up to 1600m after his victory in the Sires Produce.
“There is no reason why Pierro shouldn’t run the 1600m right out,” Rawiller said.
“He has always shown us he would be better over 1400m and 1600m. His best win was in the Sires last start and we are looking forward to getting him out to the ‘mile’.”
With a total of nine Group 1 wins already this season, Rawiller is a having the best time of his career and applauds the work Waterhouse has done preparing her team.
“I’d say it has been the best month I’ve ever had,” Rawiller said.
“It all started at the Albury Cup in late March which I won on Extra Zero and then that night I won the William Reid Stakes on Foxwedge.”
“Everything has gone just about perfectly since then.”
“Gai did a tremendous job to keep Pierro sharp enough for the Silver Slipper, Todman Stakes and Golden Slipper,” he said.
“It couldn’t have been easy for her and to be honest a lot of trainers may not have tried to get him to the Golden Slipper because he’s been looking for further, they might have gone straight to the Sires and Champagne.”
More Joyous has captured the hearts and imagination of Sydney racegoers over the Autumn with three undefeated runs and her win in the Doncaster Mile marked a special moment for Rawiller.
“I don’t think I’ve had a better day at the races,” Rawiller said.
“Of all my rides this autumn, the Doncaster was the one I was looking forward to the most. For More Joyous to win was pretty special and I just wanted to do my part to make sure it was her day. She is a champion mare and deserved to win a race like that.”
The five year old mare hasn’t raced over 2000m since failing in the 2010m Group 1 $3m Tatts Cox Plate when fifth to So You Think after a tough run in front but Rawiller is confident she is ready to run out the distance in the Queen Elizabeth.
