Pierro a heavy favorite in Doncaster Handicap at Randwick

Pierro has won 11 of 13 starts and more than $4.2 million in Australia over the past 13 months. With the success comes the burden of carrying high weights in major stakes.

Saturday at Randwick Racecourse, Pierro, a 3-year-old in the Southern Hemisphere, will carry 126 pounds in the $2.06 million Doncaster Handicap over a mile on turf. As a 3-year-old racing against older horses, Pierro concedes weight to older horses such as topweight Shoot Out (128) and Glass Harmonium (126).

There are bookmakers hoping that Pierro’s weight assignment is too much. One bookmaking firm will pay out more than $1.03 million if Pierro wins the Group 1 Doncaster Handicap.

Trained by Gai Waterhouse for Greg Kolivos, Pierro, who is by Lonhro, is unbeaten in three starts this year, two of which were Group 1 races at Rosehill Gardens – the Canterbury Stakes over seven furlongs and the George Ryder Stakes over a mile.

Pierro can give Waterhouse a record eighth win in the Doncaster.

The field of 20 has 10 millionaires.

Two threats to Pierro are Shoot Out, second in the 2012 Doncaster and third in the Ryder Stakes on April 6; and Appearance, a mare who has won two Group 1 races this year at Rosehill – Coolmore Classic on March 23 and the Queen of the Turf Stakes on April 6.