Pierro has picked up where he left off on resuming at Rosehill last Saturday with an impressive win in the Group 3 Run To The Rose (1200m) which Timeform Australia have assessed at 123.
First up since claiming the 2YO Triple Crown, Pierro was his dominant self in posting a 1 ¼ length win over the likes of Your Song and Epaulette.
Largely deemed as a match race between Pierro and All Too Hard, Pierro in the end recorded a clinical victory.
Photo by Racing and Sports
Under the guidance of Nash Rawiller, the Gai Waterhouse-trained colt sat just behind the leader Ashokan and wasted no time on straightening to make his presence felt.
The Lonhro colt hit the front approaching the 300m and never looked in doubt from there running home well to finish 1.3 lengths ahead of the Anthony Cummings-trained Your Song.
A wall of horses then followed with Epaulette edging out Ninth Legion and All Too Hard for third.
In keeping his unbeaten record intact against the small field, Pierro ran to a Timeform rating of 123.
This figure is four pounds below his master rating of 127 achieved when claiming the Group 1 Champagne Stakes (1600m) however sits high amongst previous renewals of the Run To The Rose.
Pierro's 123 in the Run To The Rose is actually the equal highest winning figure posted in the event and sits at the top alongside the now retired Smart Missile.
These pair have noticeably lifted the five year winning average of the event which is also comprised of Run To The Rose wins by Squamosa [108], Denman [115] and Desuetude [110].
Connections will no doubt be thrilled with Pierro's first up display with the unbeaten colt set to run in Melbourne for the remainder of the spring.
The Caulfield Guineas (1600m) on October 13 will be Pierro's first Group 1 assignment this preparation which could be followed by the Cox Plate (2040m) a fortnight later.
It is unlikely Gai Waterhouse would have had her latest stable star fully wound up for his first up assignment last weekend and there is a great likelihood Pierro will improve on that rating of 123 further into the spring.
Pierro's peak rating of 127 if run to in the Caulfield Guineas would be the highest winning figure during the events past 25 renewals.
The Cox Plate is contested by Australia's best middle distance weight-for-age horses every year and based on Pierro's master rating, he won't be out of place amongst that sort of company on October 27.
Currently an early market favourite for the Cox Plate, it is largely expected Pierro will relish the step up to a mile and a quarter.
Racegoers perhaps caught a glimpse of how devastating Pierro could be over a trip when the colt posted a three length win in the Group 1 Champagne Stakes (1600m), which on figures stands as the Lonhro three-year-olds best career effort to date.
Pierro was the second winner of a treble recorded by the Gai Waterhouse stable at Rosehill last Saturday where Proisir and Glencadam Gold each sounded warnings heading toward their respective spring goals.
Proisir comfortably made all to salute in the TVN Jockeys Trust 3YO Handicap (1400m), making it two wins from as many career starts with a performance assessed at 101.
Photo by Racing and Sports
Waterhouse intends on setting him for the Group 1 Spring Champion Stakes (2000m) at Randwick on October 6 while the Choisir colt also holds feature race nominations for both the Caulfield Guineas and the Cox Plate.
Glencadam Gold took another step towards the Cups this spring by leading throughout to win the Listed Premier's Cup (1800m).
The UK import improved more than 20 pounds on his narrow first up win in a Canterbury midweeker and all eyes will no doubt be on the gelding wherever he races third up.
The five-year-olds latest success rated at 109 even surpassed his prior peak Timeform figure of 102 when winning at Newmarket over 2414m whilst under the care of Sir Henry Cecil.
