The winning streak shows no signs of slowing down for Jigsaw, as Cindy Alderson’s sprinting powerhouse made it six victories on the bounce with a career-best performance to claim the 2026 Ladbrokes William Reid Stakes at Caulfield on Saturday.

2026 William Reid Stakes winner Jigsaw secured his first Australian Group 1 win at Caulfield. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.

The remarkably consistent Manhattan Rain gelding may be approaching his eighth birthday, but he displayed the zip of a juvenile to conquer the Group 1 $1 million feature (1200m).

The win continues a surreal run of form for his Cranbourne-based trainer, Alderson.

“It’s getting more and more unbelievable as we go along,” Alderson told Racing.com.

“I keep thinking it’s going to stop sooner or later.

“He’s not giving me any indications it’s going to stop.

“He’s just run exactly the same time as he ran last week, so he answered the back-up.

“It’s amazing for a small stable like ours to have the opportunity to have a horse like this at this stage of my career.”

A far cry from his 10th-place finish in this race back in 2023 at The Valley, Jigsaw has now evolved into a dual Group 1 winner.

After traveling to New Zealand earlier this year to secure the Railway Stakes, he has now added a domestic top-tier trophy to his CV, securing back-to-back wins at the Caulfield circuit following a 3.5-length romp in the VOBIS Gold Sprint on May 14.

“We were a little worried about the eight Group 1 winners, but we were never too concerned about him drawing a wide gate, especially with the start being in a straight line,” Alderson noted.

“He was able to control the race. He got an absolute flyer of a start, and I thought Tropicus would go up and take us on, but they didn’t.

“Charm Stone gave him a run on the corner, but he just kept fighting all the way to the line.

“Incredibly proud of the horse and incredibly proud of Logan and my whole team.”

Relishing the shift from 61kg down to 58.5kg under Weight-For-Age conditions, Jigsaw ($5.50) was handled masterfully by apprentice Logan Bates, and Alderson was full of praise for the young rider’s composure under fire.

“I think it starts a fairytale of what’s going to be an amazing career for someone who is so talented and shown himself to be able to handle pressure,” she said.

“There was a lot of pressure out there today which we spoke about before the race.

“He just executes it so beautifully. He’s got so much confidence in the horse and he gives the horse every opportunity to run to his best.

“I think they’re a fantastic team.”

Despite the awkward barrier 11, Bates surged to the front early and led the field from start to finish.

In a gritty finale, Jigsaw held off the Chris Waller-trained Angel Capital ($8.50) by a half-length, while the Team Hawkes-trained longshot Devil Night ($81.00) produced a stunning run to grab third.

“I say it time and time again, he’s a ripper,” an elated Bates said after clinching his first Australian Group 1.

“What a horse, just to come back from pretty much nowhere and, this preparation, I mean, you look at him now, he’s just the ultimate professional.

“He relaxed beautifully, he was on the ball, and it was the query, backing him up, he’s never ever done it… it’s just a credit to Cindy and her team.”

Bates reflected on the magnitude of the win.

“It’s just unbelievable to get my maiden Group 1 in Australia,” he said.

“I was able to get my first one in New Zealand and to come back… this whole prep for this horse to win two Group 1s in the prep is just unbelievable.

“When you’ve got horses like Jimmysstar and Angel Capital coming at you… you’re always going to be a little bit worried, but I was just rapt for the horse.

“This horse has just left me speechless today.”

While Jigsaw is in the form of his life, Alderson hinted that a well-earned rest is likely.

“I don’t know what to do,” she admitted.

“I keep taking it one day at a time. I’ve never backed him up, so that could be the end of the preparation as he’s been in work for a long time.

“He’ll tell me. I know him that well now… Looking at him out there, he’s never looked better in his life.”

If the stable chooses to forge ahead, a trip to Randwick for the Group 1 $3 million TJ Smith Stakes (1200m) on April 4 could be on the cards.

Bookmakers at Ladbrokes have already taken notice, slashing Jigsaw’s odds from $101 into $17 as he looks to become the first horse since the legendary Black Caviar (2013) to complete the William Reid–TJ Smith double.

2026 William Reid Stakes Results & Finishing Order

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