Maher’s Salty Pearl shines bright in Platinum Guineas

MELBOURNE – A set of blinkers and a quick back-up has provided the connections of Salty Pearl with a rich prize at Caulfield on March 14.

The Ciaron Maher stable had no qualms about backing the Tagaloa filly up in the A$500,000 (S$447,000) VOBIS Platinum Guineas (1,600m), after the three-year-old chased home the smart Sass Appeal in the Kewney Stakes (1,600m) at Flemington on March 7 and finished third.

Having successfully backed the filly up in the space of eight days previously in 2025, when Salty Pearl took out the Group 2 Fillies Classic (1,600m) at Mooney Valley on Oct 25, the Maher stable again pulled off the ploy with an impressive result.

Sent out as the $11 favourite under John Allen, Salty Pearl shot to a 2¾-length win from Silvasista (Harry Coffey) with Wetumpka (Jye McNeil) a further 1½ lengths away in third.

Jack Turnbull, assistant trainer for Maher, said the application of blinkers for the second time had allowed Salty Pearl to travel sweetly throughout the mile contest.

“She was always in control,” said Turnbull. “The blinkers made her travel and she took John everywhere.

“And when he asked her to poke into a hole at about the 450m, she was there straightaway.

“That’s when you knew she was going to be there for a long way and, in the straight, they spanned wide and they were coming from everywhere. But her class shone through.

“It’s the second time we’ve backed her up for a second victory.

“We had to go back from the draw (7) last start, and we thought her run was huge, but we were beaten by a classy filly (Sass Appeal).

“She’s very consistent and is building a fantastic record.”

Turnbull said the stable was conscious of how much racing Salty Pearl has had up to this stage of her three-year-old season.

The March 14 outing was her 12th career start for her third win. Turnbull said the stable could head interstate, depending on how she pulls up.

But Turnbull said the three-time winner was unlikely to step out beyond 1,600m.

“You could have the Queen Of The Turf (Stakes), which would be the top of the tree. Otherwise, if she was in the right frame of mind and physically okay, you could possibly look at the Carbine (Club Stakes) as well,” he said.

“We’re conscious of where we want to get to and what she has done, but it’s good options to have.

“I think that’s her trip. Again, you could float the idea and try (a longer trip), but she’s very effective at this distance and I don’t think we need to change.”

The Group 1 Queen Of The Turf Stakes (1,600m) is at Randwick on April 11, while the Group 3 Carbine Club Stakes (1,600m) is slated for Oct 31 at Flemington.

One race later, the seven-year-old Jigsaw ($14) trained by Cindy Alderson, landed the A$200,000 VOBIS Gold Sprint (1,200m) in easy fashion under Kiwi jockey Logan Bates.

The son of Manhattan Rain is in great form, securing his fifth consecutive victory since Oct 10, 2025.

Jigsaw gave Bates his first Group 1 success when he claimed the Railway Stakes (1,200m) at Ellerslie on Jan 24 in his last start.

But Alderson revealed the pair did not get along well at first.

“It’s actually quite interesting because early doors, he and Jigsaw did not get along very well at all,” she said.

“If it’s done anything for Logan, it’s taught him how to deal with a horse and get the best out of them and that’s a really big skill for any jockey to have – to go with the horse and not fight it.

“It’s quite unbelievable, he (Jigsaw) just continues to impress me every time he comes to the races.

“Each time, he seems to get better and better. I mean, I just couldn’t believe he put that field away with that weight (61kg), as comfortably as he did.

“It’s a fabulous combination, he and Logan. I don’t think it’s ever going to get repeated; they just seem to give each other, you know.

“But I’m just incredibly grateful to everybody around me that supported me and helped me along this way.”

Alderson had originally wanted to run the gelding in the Group 1 William Reid Stakes (1,200m) at Caulfield on March 21, but the change of plans worked well.

“We had originally thought we might go just straight to the William Reid. But then I looked at the weather map and a few other things and I thought, no we’ll go here,” she said.

“I did say to Logan if he was going all right to not knock him around at the end because we did have that.

“But 1:08, that’s a pretty phenomenal time with that weight.”

Bates thought Jigsaw should back up in that Caulfield feature, given he is at the top of his game.

“A 100 per cent, I reckon,” he said.

“Off that, and the way he’s coming back now, he actually nearly dropped me.

“He shied at something that I didn’t spot and that goes to show me that it didn’t really touch him very much inside.

“Look, I’ll leave it to Cindy, but I’ll be all for coming back.

“I know he was running 1:08, but he did it fairly easily and he’s done it with 61 and he felt like he had a little bit left in the tank, too.

“He’s a ripper. I can’t thank Cindy, (owner) Marcus Price and all involved with the horse enough, and even the horse, for what he’s done for my career.

“To be associated with them, I’m very grateful.”

RACING AND SPORTS