Talented Trapeze Artist mare Piggyback stormed into contention for autumn staying feature races when she zoomed to the line to win the $250,000 Group III ATC Paramatta Cup (1900m) at Rosehill on Saturday.
The Ciaron Maher trained five year-old was second up from a spell and hit the line hard for Dylan Gibbons to win by a long neck over Group I winner Bois D’Argent.
"We came here today thinking if she could repeat the sectionals she ran first-up, she was going to be hard to beat and she's got it done with another booming finish," said Maher's NSW assistant trainer Johann Gerard-Dubord.
"She tries and that's a big thing for a staying type of horse.
"From barrier one she was going to need a bit of luck in the run at some point and Dylan rode her perfectly.
"It's important she travels in her races.
"She never lost any momentum from the time the barriers opened and he was able to keep building momentum throughout the run and that's what you need to happen on a horse like her."
Pigyyback will now have bigger fish to fry as she progresses through the autumn.
"It's very promising for the rest of the preparation," he said.
"The Randwick City Stakes is in two weeks and long term possibly races like the Chairman's and Sydney Cup (G1), but she likes Rosehill so a race like the Tancred (G1)would probably have to be considered now."
Piggyback runs for a very happy team of Dynamic Syndications owners and was purchased for just $27,000 from the 2022 Magic Millions Online September Sale after she was purchased originally from the Widden Stud draft at the Magic Millions National Yearling Sale for $32,000 by Louis Bloodstock.
Piggyback has seven wins from 20 starts with prizemoney in excess of $600,000.
Bred by the Vieria Group, Piggyback is the best of three winners from five foals to race from Wowee, a talented stayer by Choisir that won the Group III South Australian Fillies Classic over 2500m.
Wowee was on-sold at the 2022 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale for $30,000 to WA based Mungrup Stud and produced a colt by Ghaiyyath (IRE) last year before visiting Maschino.
Piggyback capped a good day for Trapeze Artist, who also had metropolitan winners at Caulfield (Verdoux) and Doomben (Martist) and a stakes-placed juvenile in Adelaide with Image Artist finishing third in the Listed SAJC Cinderella Stakes.
The Tony Gollan trained two year-old colt Martist won stylishly on debut and is under consideration for stakes goals during the Brisbane winter Carnival.
