Fourth G1 for Pierro

Champion two-year-old Lonhro colt Pierro dropped back in distance second-up to defeat his eight-time G1-winning stable mate More Joyous in the G1 Canterbury Stakes over 1300m at Rosehill on 23 March.

Unbeaten in nine starts in Sydney, all at Stakes level including the two-year-old Triple Crown, Pierro jumped away well from the gates and jockey Jim Cassidy had the colt parked in third position on the rails as speedster Rain Affair set a very good pace upfront.

Pierro tracked the leaders throughout and as the home turn was reached he pulled out from off their backs and made his move, claiming the lead in a matter of strides and going on to hold off the late challenge of More Joyous to take the newly elevated G1 race by three-quarters-of-a-length.

Jockey Jim Cassidy was full of praise for the colt, describing his as “phenomenal” and as a “freak”, rating him up with the Champion Might And Power at the same stage of their careers, a horse Cassidy rode to many G1 victories.

Bred by Darley, Pierro is out of the Irish-bred Daylami mare Miss Right Note, a half-sister to Octagonal's G1 winner Laverock. Miss Right Note has a grey yearling filly by Lonhro, a Street Cry filly weanling and was covered by Lonhro once again in the latest breeding season.

As the sire of 38 Stakes winnings including G1 winners Mental, Beaded and Darley stallions Benfica and Denman, Lonhro will be represented at the forthcoming Inglis Easter yearling sale by 22 lots including colts out of the G1-winning mares Ancient Song (lot 10), Bonanova (lot 31), Emerald Dream (lot 90) and Makybe Diva (lot 190).