A missing piece fell into place for Cranbourne-trainer Cindy Alderson on Saturday when her seven-year-old gelding Jigsaw gave her an emotional victory in the Group 1 Railway Stakes (1200m) at Ellerslie.
The trip across the ditch could not have gone better for Alderson, who not only joined her father Colin as a Group 1 winning trainer, but gave her stable jockey Logan Bates his first taste of success at the highest level on his return to his homeland.
Jigsaw sat outside race favourite Alabama Lass as the field swung for home, with Bates taking the lead at the 300 and dashing clear for victory.
Arkansaw Kid made it an Australian one-two, with Sweynesday running on for third place.
“I don’t think you can get any better really,” Alderson said, as Bates and Jigsaw returned to the winners’ enclosure.
“With a horse that I bred, has been in my stable right from the start, so many people know him. “Logan, I don’t even think he was riding when the horse started racing.
“To have this opportunity to come here on his home turf, and pull it off, with his mum and dad here, his brother, I mean, it doesn’t get much better than that.
“It’s been a massive team effort, couldn’t have done it without all the support of all the people that are around me.”
Alderson said she had every faith that Bates had what it took to pull off the biggest win of his career.
“I left it with Logan, I mean, I know he’s a claiming apprentice but you just don’t get rides like that very often,” she said.
“What a thrill.
“We dreamt about it, he talked about it the other day, but I’m such a superstitious person.
“That’s just a testament to him, to his confidence in the horse, to the fact that he’s got that ability to make a decision like that.
“It just couldn’t have worked out any better.”
Bates was glowing in his praise of Alderson as he returned to scale.
“It means just everything, I remember before I even started riding, Cindy and I had a conversation and she said one of her greatest achievements would be to see me win a Group 1,” Bates began.
“And the comment at the end was it would be even better if it was in the colours of the Alderson family.
“Cindy, we done it.”
Bates was equally as effusive about Jigsaw, who has now made it four wins in a row after breaking a long drought at Cranbourne in early October.
“What a beautiful horse…you wouldn’t think he’s a seven-year-old gelding, that he would just come back like this and get better and better,” Bates said.
“Every day I rode him going this way (clockwise), and all the work that we done with him, I just grew with confidence.
“The plan was either to lead if it was there or be rolling along at a tempo where he was happy in his rhythm.
“When I gave him a squeeze and he ranged up to Alabama Lass he grew with confidence and gave me an unbelievable kick.
“There are so many people to thank; I’ve got mum and dad here, my partner, my good mate Jake; to do it for Cindy is just unreal.
“It was almost like it was meant to be.
“You come back to where I grew up in New Zealand, even his mother was from New Zealand; just coming here and racing on one of the best days here and taking out one of their biggest Group 1’s, The Railway, it’s just incredible.”
