Resuming off arguably his most successful campaign that saw the son of Manhattan Rain secure two G1 victories, the Cindy Alderson trained Jigsaw took his current run of victories to eight with an all the way win in the $300,000 G2 MRC Schillaci Stakes (1100m).
Straight to the lead from the inside gate, Jigsaw and regular partner Logan Bates had the rail as the Ciaron Maher trained Spywire came up on his outside.
As Bates asked for an effort passing the 300m mark, Spywire began to give ground as Inkaruna was searching for some clear running behind the leader while the Bryce Heys-trained noted back marker Flying For Fun was starting to build the revs for her charge.
Always in control, Jigsaw continued his lead, pulling clear to win by a length and a quarter from Flying For Fun with Inkaruna finishing a short neck back in third.
Schillaci Stakes | Jigsaw Eight on the bounce for Jigsaw! The 8YO picks up where he left off with an impressive win the Schillaci ?? ?? Ch. 78/68, Foxtel 529, Kayo or via our app REPLAYS: https://t.co/HEhdpozFmy CAULFIELD-ONLY LIVE: https://t.co/ZyYNNgqbuL https://t.co/OckNTw5NPh
— Racing.com (@Racing) October 10, 2026
“It is has been an amazing ride,” enthused Alderson. “I keep pinching myself thinking ‘when is this going to end’. It’ll happen sooner or later but credit to the horse.”
“He’s sound and he’s well. Everyone has worked really hard behind the scenes to keep him this way.
“He’s a bit of a devil. He still kicks his shoes off. The farrier has to come in and fix them up. So its not all plain sailing. He is a fast horse. He loves racing, he loves going fast. I’m lucky to have him.
“He came out here and galloped on Tuesday. He just loves to run, this horse. It is like the faster he runs, the more he wins, and he thinks he can go faster and win more.
As for where he heads next, Alderson felt he may have to head to the Flemington, a track he may not be his best at.
“His big strength has been how he corners and runs through the line off a corner and bend.
“With Moonee Valley being out of action, he’s probably going to have to go down the straight which he hasn’t done since he was a three-year-old so that will be interesting.
Having built an amazing record with the gelding, jockey Logan Bates understands just how amazing the ride is.
“This one is pretty special,” said Bates. “Knowing what goes into it and how hard it is to compete at the top level, he’s one of a kind and he’s a very special horse.
“He won with plenty in hand today. It was quite scary actually. He jumped well, raced beautifully, waited for his cue.
“I pushed the button and he put the race to be straightaway. It took me a while to pull him up because he did it that easy. I have to thank Cindy for backing me all the way.
“We’ve been on a special ride over the last 12 months and it is great to see the horse back and just as good. It is quite amazing given his age what he is doing. It is special to be a part of.
“Credit to Cindy. She has handled this horse so well. She has placed him to perfection. Could have been a lot of races he could have gone in fresh up this time around and found the perfect option for him to get that kill.
“There’s still no easy task. He still had to do it in good fashion. It is exciting going forward and I’m going to enjoy the ride for as long as it lasts.”
With an impressive resume of 17 wins, eight at black type level, with a further five placed efforts from 41 starts, with earnings of $5,105,097, Jigsaw is the best of three winners out of the Commands mare Demandz.
From the family of multiple G1-winning All Too Hard mare winner Steif Magnetica, Demandz’ current 2yo is the unraced Street Boss filly Labyrinth, also in the Alderson stable while the mare has a yearling filly by Darley’s G1 Newmarket Handicap winner Cylinder (Exceed And Excel).
Demandz was not covered last season, so there will be no foal this season.
Jigsaw is one of 21 stakes winners for the Geisel Park Stud-based Manhattan Rain, who has been represented by four individual G1 winners to date.
The G1-winning and G1-producing son of Encosta de Lago is standing at a fee of $6,600 (inc. GST) in Western Australia.
