3 minute read

It's only six weeks to the Blue Diamond Stakes and Cindy Alderson's colt Jigsaw showed he had the speed to be a chance with an exciting debut win at Geelong.

The Cindy Alderson trained two-year-old colt Jigsaw emerged as a Blue Diamond Stakes candidate after a brilliant all the way victory at his debut at Geelong.

TAB fixed odds firmed Jigsaw in from $26 to $21 for the Blue Diamond Stakes after his 3 1/4 lengths victory over 1135 metres.

Stable representative Jamie Bates said the stable was aiming Jigsaw at Melbourne's richest two-year-old race at $1.5 million to be run at Caulfield on February 20.

"He holds a Blue Diamond nomination and we'll have a look at that and see how he goes in the Prelude. He's a beautiful colt," Bates said.

Jockey Michael Walker said there were some pleasing aspects to Jigsaw's win.

"He's won by three lengths and yet he was waiting for them in the closing stages. Who knows what he would have won by if one of them had came to him," Walker said.

Walker said also every time he had ridden Jigsaw he had improved.

"I've ridden him in a trial and track-work and every time I get on him he improves which is a great sign," Walker said.

"He jumped well. He did everything right. He's a really nice horse going forward and he's a bombproof colt," he said.

Jigsaw is by Manhattan Rain out of a Lonhro mare Demandz who Alderson trained.

In the following race at Geelong, there was a fall with 500 metres and two horses came down which were Slickback Teddy (Fred Kersley) and Northeast Express (Jason Maskiell).

Both jockeys were attended to by medical staff and were conscious. Maskiell was taken to Geelong Hospital for further observation.

Initial scans of Maskiell showed he had escaped without any fractures.