When Godolphin elected to scatter their horses across a range of trainers, Ciaron Maher was selected for the Pinatubo (IRE) filly from four time Group I winner Guelph and she duly opened her account at Canterbury on Wednesday.
Piedmont has been brought along quietly and made her debut earlier this month with a third placing at Canterbury and showed the benefit from that when stepping out today over 1250m with Regan Bayliss to ride.
She jumped well to sit outside the lead and then was happy to stalk the favourite Affari, who gave a good kick but could not hold off Piedmont, who hit the line hard to win by more than a length.
Regan Bayliss has ridden Piedmont in both of her starts and is a fan of the filly.
“She’s a pretty smart filly and has a lot of good attributes to her,” he said.
“She’s got a good brain, great action and a really good attitude. She pinged out, relaxed well and showed a good turn of foot in the straight.”
With the metro box win ticked, the stable will no doubt look to develop Piedmont as a stakes prospect as the season unfolds.
She is a half-sister to Group winners Encryption and Emanate being the fifth winner from seven foals to race from Guelph, who was the Champion 3YO Filly of her time.
By champion sire Exceed and Excel, Guelph won the Group I ATC Sires Produce Stakes and Champagne Stakes at two before returning at three to win the Group I ATC Flight Stakes and MRC Thousand Guineas.
A three-quarter sister-in-blood to Champion 3YO Colt and now leading young sire Bivouac, Guelph was bred to be exceptional being from Group I ATC Sires Produce winner Camarilla, a daughter of Group I Queensland Derby winner Camarena.
Guelph has a yearling filly by Anamoe to come and was covered by him again last spring.
Piedmont is the seventh winner from the first Australian crop of Shamardal’s Champion 2YO Pinatubo (IRE), who is back at Darley NSW this spring at a fee of $27,500.
