Seasoned speedster Jigsaw has provided trainer Cindy Alderson with an incredible ride.
A gifted horse during his juvenile and early autumn years, Jigsaw struggled midway through his racing life yet has now come full circle as a dual Group 1 victor.
Shipped to New Zealand to capture the Railway Stakes at Ellerslie in January, delivering Alderson and young rider Logan Bates their initial Group 1 successes, Jigsaw extended his current winning streak to six straight by prevailing in the Group 1 William Reid Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield on Saturday.
Returning just seven days after triumphing over the identical distance at Caulfield to the William Reid Stakes, Jigsaw ($5.50) dictated the pace from the front for a long-neck victory ahead of Angel Capital ($8.50), while Devil Night ($81) finished a short-half-head further back in third.
Coincidentally, Jigsaw covered the 1200m in 1.08.83, matching precisely the clocking from his success the previous week.
Alderson continues to anticipate that the phenomenal streak of triumphs will conclude eventually.
“But he’s not giving me any indications it’s going to stop,” Alderson said.
“He’s just run exactly the same time as he ran last week, so he answered the back-up.
“It’s amazing for a small stable like ours to have the opportunity to have a horse like this at this stage of my career.”
Jigsaw was among eight previous Group 1 winners in the Saturday feature and started from the widest barrier.
In talks with Bates ahead of the race, their primary concern was the depth of the opposition on Saturday instead of the far outside draw.
“We were never too concerned about him drawing a wide gate, especially with the start being in a straight line,” Alderson said.
“He was able to control the race. He got an absolute flyer of a start and I thought Tropicus would go up and take us on, but they didn’t.
“Charm Stone gave him a run on the corner, but he kept fighting all the way to the line.”
Following a seven-start series from September that yielded six victories, Alderson expressed uncertainty regarding how far Jigsaw might continue this campaign.
“I keep taking it one day at a time,” Alderson said.
“I’ve never backed him up, so that could be the end of the preparation as he’s been in work for a long time, but he’ll tell me.
“I know him that well. He won’t do much for the following week and then he’ll let us know.
“Looking at him out there, he’s never looked better in his life.”
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