Jigsaw shoots for 2025 The Meteorite honours

Jigsaw may feel like a long-standing fixture on the Victorian sprint scene, but Saturday’s Cranbourne appearance actually represents just start number 36 for the seasoned gelding.

The Cindy Alderson-trained sprinter launched his career with a Geelong debut win in January 2021 and now sets his sights on win number 12 when he lines up in the $1 million The Meteorite (1200m).

The seven-year-old goes into the race seeking his third consecutive victory as well as his most significant prizemoney return to date.

A highly reliable performer, he has amassed $1.35 million and delivered a standout stretch as a four-year-old when he rattled off four wins in succession, including three at Stakes level and the Group 2 Australia Stakes (1200m).

His latest breakout performance came in the McEwen Stakes at Moonee Valley, landing him a Meteorite slot through the Moonee Valley Racing Club.

That win snapped a two-and-a-half-year drought, though Alderson stressed he had been racing well in defeat and benefited greatly from a lengthy spell.

“It’s exciting and he’s in fabulous form and ticking all the boxes at the moment,” Alderson said.

“He’s a horse that has seasons. His coat has never looked better, he’s never been brighter and never eaten any better than he is at the moment.

“He had a nice long break, for no particular reason other than we thought he had a fair time of it, so he’s come back from that in great order.

“Hopefully we’ll get a good track on Saturday, and it will be all systems go.”

To keep him mentally switched on, Alderson galloped him at Cranbourne midweek, a circuit where he has thrived previously with three wins from four starts.

“We had planned to trial him last week, but with the rain, the trials got cancelled, so I thought he needed a bit of stimulation as it would be four weeks between runs,” Alderson said.

“Gavin (Bedggood) gave us one to work with and he really enjoyed that opportunity to work with another horse and get his competitive juices flowing.”

Apprentice Logan Bates continues atop Jigsaw, having ridden him in all three outings so far this campaign.

“He’s pretty excited and it’s been a pretty good journey for Logan and I to share this opportunity together,” Alderson said.

“He rode the Moe Cup winner for us on Sunday, so it’s been going well for us at the moment.”