It was a swoopers’ race in the opener at Rosehill Gardens in the 2-year-old Handicap, and it was the Ciaron Maher-trained debutant Without Peer (Pierata) who finished too strongly for his rivals in the hands of Chad Schofield.
From the back of the field, Without Peer surged late to overpower Spice Prawn (Too Darn Hot (GB)) and Reflect (So You Think (NZ)), who also made good ground from off the speed, but couldn’t match the winner’s turn of foot.
“He just won today on pure, raw ability so that’s very exciting going forward because I think he’s got a stack of improvement,” Schofield said.
“My instructions were to let him balance up, travel, and I was told he’d be very strong late. When he quickened as well as he did with me early in the straight, I was very confident.”
Maher’s Sydney assistant trainer Johann Gerard-Dubord was pleasantly surprised by the performance, noting the colt would head into the new racing season with plenty of upside.
“It’s that time of the year where you have to. He is still furnishing so we’ll give him a bit of time between runs and he will just keep improving,” Gerard-Dubord said.
“I didn’t think he was going to win today. I thought he’d be strong late and improve a lot off the back of that. He’s got a lot of maturing to do physically and mentally so that’s a bonus today.”
Without Peer was purchased by Triple Crown Syndications for $120,000 from the draft of Twin Hills Stud at the 2024 Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale. He’s the fifth foal out of Alderney (High Chaparral (Ire)), who was placed on the track and is well-related. Alderney is a full sister to Ballet Suite (High Chaparral (Ire)), winner of the Listed Princess Stakes, and placed in the Gr.3 Tesio Stakes, as well as running fourth in the Gr.1 Vinery Stud Stakes.
Written for TTRAusNZ
