Piggyback, the advancing stayer, has thrust herself into Group One weight-for-age picture for the autumn after a classy display securing the Parramatta Cup at Rosehill.
Johann Gerard-Dubord, helping out trainer Ciaron Maher, mentioned several prospective races for the five-year-old, notably the Tancred Stakes (2400m) returning to Rosehill on March 28.
“There is the Randwick City Stakes in two weeks. Long-term, there is the Chairman’s Handicap and Sydney Cup,” Gerard-Dubord said.
“But she likes Rosehill, so a race like the Tancred would have to be considered now.
“She had no weight today, so it’s a bit different, weight-for-age (in the Tancred Stakes), but she stays, and we don’t know how much better she can be.”
Dylan Gibbons guided the $3.10 favourite Piggyback to settle early before a well-judged effort saw her prevail by a short neck over Bois D’Argent ($61), with Travolta ($4.20) trailing by another half-neck for third.
The winning jockey shared that he restrained from pushing up too soon, adhering to the stable’s strategy for her optimal riding style.
“Before I chatted to the team, I thought this was going to be pretty simple, just put her in the box seat and ride her like a good thing,” Gibbons said.
“But the team knows this mare so well, and they told me she appreciates being back that couple of pairs, then being given the chance to finish off.
“It took everything in me not to give her a squeeze early and have her too close.”
Gibbons likened Piggyback to the 2023 Sydney Cup hero Explosive Jack from Maher’s yard, believing she has the tools for the marathon trip.
“I think she will run 3200m. She has a great attitude, she has that same big, gangly action of Explosive Jack. She settles well, and she is trained by the same camp, so she is in the right hands,” Gibbons said.
Piggyback’s career has been marked by untapped potential, and Gerard-Dubord pointed to her spring jaunt to Queensland as the catalyst for improvement.
“She did really well last prep, especially towards the end of it,” he said.
“She went to Brisbane and the trip away, mentally she had to take it up that next level, and on the back of that she won the Colin Stephen Quality.
“She is still on the way up.”
Check out sports betting options and betting sites for the Sydney Cup where Piggyback could shine through betting sites.