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Full Noise by SN
Important update on 1476AMEverest bound? Why Jigsaw "deserves" crack at $20 million sprint
Connor Scanlon • April 20th, 2026 12:32 pm
Having not won a race for 902 days before claiming the Hareeba Stakes (1200m) in April of 2023, the Cindy Alderson-trained Jigsaw has fully revitalised his career.
On Saturday, the seven-year-old won the $5 million Quokka, marking his seventh straight victory a streak which includes the Group 1 Railway Stakes (1200m) and Group 1 William Reid Stakes (1200m).
The gelding has now pulled up a chair at the table of Australia’s best sprinters, and while the son of Manhattan Rain may not be at the head of table, Gareth Hall, Grace Hayes and David Gately believe he is absolutely in the conversation.
Hall: “He probably deserves his spot now at the top of the rankings for the Australian sprinters. He's definitely in the conversation, isn't he?”
Hayes: “Definitely.”
Gately: “You don't have to look too deep to say he's right up there with them.”
“Would I back him to beat Tempted in a race? Probably not, but jeez, he's going to be hard to get past.”
And where do the country’s best sprinters go? Most head to the $20 million Everest.
Hall and Hayes are adamant that The Everest will be on the radar for Jigsaw, with Hall even joking that the world’s best sprinter, Ka Ying Rising, will have some early gate speed competition now.
Hall: “The Everest has to be firmly on their agenda come the spring.
“Look out Ka Ying Rising! There will be some gate speed to go with him now. He'll be knocking on the door and going, ‘Who the hell is Jigsaw?’”
Hayes: “There's plenty of options for him, and if he continues on his winning streak come springtime, he'll be in The Everest, for sure.”
Hall: “It would be a wonderful narrative leading up towards an Everest, if he could get into that race.”
Hayes: “I'm sure they would want to go down that path. There is 20 million reasons why you would.
“He deserves to be there, so someone will definitely snap him up.”
While Ka Ying Rising is the $1.55 favourite with Sportsbet to go back-to-back in the world’s richest sprint on turf, Jigsaw is currently a $26 outside chance, even getting as low as $15 directly after his Quokka victory.
The Everest will take place at Randwick on October 17.
