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By Ray Hickson

It’s not grand final day for talented Kiwi galloper Pier at Rosehill on Saturday but trainer Darryn Weatherley wants to know he’s in the game with the Epsom fast approaching.

Trainer Darryn Weatherley (Pic: Trackside).

He’s sending the six-year-old into a clash with Epsom favourite Autumn Glow in the Group 2 $300,000 Toyota Forklifts Theo Marks Stakes (1300m) knowing he’s giving away a good deal in the fitness stakes.

Pier was a Group 1 winner in NZ at three and he hasn’t raced since collecting his first Australian win at Eagle Farm back in June.

Weatherley said the horse spelled particularly well and that’s his main concern going into his first-up run.

“I tell you what he’s a bit like me, he’s enjoyed the Australian hospitality and we’ve both gone out a notch or two in the old belt,’’ he said.

“He’ll be a bit vulnerable on Saturday I would imagine. Just looking at him I feel he’s a bit soft but Saturday is not his grand final.

“I’d really like to see him hitting the line and being competitive then we know where we are going.

“Hopefully he makes a liar out of me but he’s eating me out of house and home. Ideally another trial would have been perfect but he trialled up well last week and they’ll still know he’s in the race.”

Ethan Brown has been keen to stick with Pier, $9.50 with TAB on Thursday, having partnered him during his two start Brisbane campaign.

He charged into third behind Stradbroke hero War Machine in the BRC Sprint before winning the Wayne Wilson Mile.

“It’s a great positive for us that Ethan wanted to stick with the horse, considering there are races in Melbourne he could ride in as well,’’ he said.

Back in early 2023, Pier contested the Hobartville Stakes as a three-year-old but didn’t run up to his best in the race won by Osipenko.

He only had one run between September 2023 and April 2025 but Weatherley said he’s dealing with a completely different animal to the one that was last in Sydney.

He weighed 470kg in that Hobartville, he’s now a 550kg beast and Weatherley said he has a bit of that to trim off before he reaches the Group 1 on October 4.

“Within the month in the paddock I couldn’t believe the weight he’d put on, he really blossomed with the Queensland sunshine on his back,’’ he said.

“He’s not his fighting weight, 20kg heavier than he needs to be, and this will tighten him up a lot.

“If we run top four and he’s hitting the line like he was in the BRC Sprint at Doomben I’d be happy going forward into the Epsom.

“If we can finish within a couple of lengths of Autumn Glow it’d be great because I know I’d have a better horse going into the Epsom three weeks later.

“He ran a track record at weight-for-age in the Wayne Wilson so if we can have him like that he’d be very competitive.”

With Rosehill copping over 50mm of rain going into Thursday and the track coming up in the heavy range that doesn’t hamper Pier’s prospects – though Weatherly did say he wouldn’t want a really testing track given his fitness levels.

Pier runs second in a Warwick Farm on September 4

“We’re fortunate the track conditions aren’t a concern with Pier,’’ he said.

“You’d love to have 10 horses in your stable like him, that handle all track conditions and you can ride in any position you like.”

All the fields, form and replays for Saturday’s Rosehill meeting