As Blue Diamond Stakes winner Samaready takes a rest this week, one confident punter has plunged $10,000 with TAB Sportsbet on the Gai Waterhouse trained Pierro to win the Golden Slipper at $13.
The big bettor placed $5000 on the horse initially, and doubled his stake 10 minutes later after the price didn't move.
The colt's price firmed after that wager into $11 behind Samaready at $4.40 and Tulloch Lodge stablemates Raceway at $6, and No Looking Back at $9.
Pierro won the listed Thoroughbred Breeders Plate over 1000m at Randwick on October 1 and has not been seen on the race track since.
Nominated for the crucial $200,000 Group Two Silver Slipper Stakes (1100m) at Rosehill on Saturday, Pierro could go straight into the Golden Slipper if he wins with the winner of the race exempt from a ballot for the Slipper.
Pierro won a 900m barrier trial at Rosehill by 3/4L on February 7 with stable jockey Nash Rawiller in the saddle.
Price reports that Samaready has gone for a short spell to refresh after her dominant 3L win over No Looking Back and Armed For Action.
“I think she is pretty good and we just have to get a plan for the next four weeks between runs and try and have her on the way up into the Slipper,” he said.
“We will get opportunities to work her the reverse way on the Steeple as they are very good at Caulfield accommodating the better horses so I do not know if I need to trial her in Sydney, but she has gone back to Rock Mountain up to Damien Murphy and I got a text from him this morning that she licked the bin.
“She is a natural two-year-old, she is nice and robust, holds her body-weight and we are confident that she will be cherry ripe."
The latest TAB Sportsbet market for the Group 1 AAMI Golden Slipper as at Tuesday evening:
Runner Win Place
SAMAREADY 4.40 1.85
RACEWAY 6.50 2.37NO LOOKING BACK 9.00 3.00
PIERRO 11.00 3.50DRIEFONTEIN 13.00 4.00
SHELFORD 17.00 5.00SNITZERLAND 17.00 5.00
EPAULETTE 17.00 5.00FAUSTUS 17.00 5.00
ARMED FOR ACTION 17.00 5.00MEIDUNG 17.00 5.00
HUSSOUSA 17.00 5.00ALL TOO HARD 17.00 5.00
SESSIONS 26.00 7.25KUCHINSKAYA 26.00 7.25
CAVALRY ROSE 26.00 7.25LYRIC 26.00 7.25
NEDIYMS QUEST 26.00 7.25JADE MARAUDER 26.00 7.25
LATER GATOR 26.00 7.25NARCISSUS 26.00 7.25
ASSASSINATE 26.00 7.25Others from 51.00