Pierro has had a searching hit-out in a 1200m barrier trial ahead of his return to racing in a couple of weeks.

His lightly-raced Gai Waterhouse-trained stablemate Landing led the field up in the 1200m trial at Warwick Farm with Pierro closing to within three-quarters of a length under Mark Newnham.

Spring Champion Stakes winner It's A Dundeel was almost another seven lengths away and will clash with Pierro on March 2 in the Hobartville Stakes.

Greg Kolivos, owner of last season's champion juvenile, said Pierro had done what was expected heading into 1400 metres first-up.

"I've spoken to Gai and to Mark and it was exactly what everyone was looking for," Kolivos told Sydney's Sky Sports Radio.

"... to give him a hitout over 1200 metres and let him try and extend himself over the final furlong and find the line.

"He did that. He was closing rapidly."

Pierro suffered the first defeat of his career when second to All Too Hard in the Caulfield Guineas.

At his last spring start, he finished third in the Cox Plate won by Ocean Park from All Too Hard with that colt already up and running, winning last Saturday's Group One C F Orr Stakes at weight-for-age.

Pierro is also likely to race against the older horses this autumn and will do all his racing in Sydney.

Kolivos said there had been some thought of the Newmarket Handicap or the Australian Guineas in Melbourne but as his owner, he wanted to see him run in Sydney.

"Given where he's at, races like the Australian Guineas have come up awfully soon so it wasn't a genuine option," he said.

"We did give it some thought but I am a parochial Sydneysider and the premier autumn racing is here.

"We are definitely seriously looking at the Doncaster. The race is right on his agenda."

The barrier trials also produced three winners for trainer Rick Worthington including unbeaten filly Golden Sunshine.

The three-year-old sprinter has won all her four starts and also shown her competitiveness winning all three of her barrier trials.