THE last time Greg Hickman trained a Group 1 Randwick mile winner his footy team, the Sydney Roosters won the NRL Grand Final.

It was 2002 and Hickman’s filly Royal Purler scored an upset win at $31 in the Flight Stakes at the Epsom Handicap meeting then a day later the Roosters defeated the New Zealand Warriors 30-8 in the premiership decider.

“I’m hoping history repeats itself this weekend,’’ said Hickman, a die-hard Roosters fan.

So, what are the odds of a Pierata-Sydney Roosters double this weekend?

Pierata is one of the favourites at $5 for the Group 1 $1 million The TAB Epsom Handicap (1600m) at Royal Randwick on Saturday, while the Roosters are $2 for their clash with the Melbourne Storm in Sunday’s NRL Grand Final.

Unlike that weekend 16 years ago when most pundits weren’t expecting a Hickman Group 1 win, the weight of expectation is on the trainer and his stable star Pierata in the Epsom.

But Hickman, 58, has been in the game long enough not to let the pressure get to him.

Hickman even drew inspiration from a recent comment champion Roosters halfback, Cooper Cronk, made about coping with pressure.

“As Cooper Cronk said, you can’t see pressure, can’t eat it, so what is pressure?’’ Hickman said. “Pressure is only what you bring on yourself.

“I was lucky I was brought through the ranks at Crown Lodge during the 1990s when you were working with good horses all the time like Octagonal.

“John Hawkes used to always say you have got to be able to handle the pressure and the best way to do that was to look after your horse then the rest will take care of itself.’’

Hickman has applied this mantra right through the developing race career of the richly talented Pierata.

The Pierata story began when the Warwick Farm trainer took a liking to the colt the first moment he laid eyes on him.

Hickman was initially attracted to Pierata by the colt’s pedigree – he is by 2012 juvenile triple crown winner Pierro out of November Flight, herself a former classy sprinter and the dam of four winners including Group 1 placegetter Ashokan.

“I bought him at the Magic Millions because we had raced against Ashokan with Taxmeifyoucan,’’ Hickman said. “Ashokan was an outstanding looking horse and they paid $800,000 for him. We got Pierata for $160,000.’’

They say you have to speculate to accumulate but this was a lot of money for Hickman to spend on a yearling.

“The $160,000 is a big amount if you haven’t got it and was probably a stretch for me,’’ Hickman said. “But I don’t like to think about those things, I’ve stuck my neck out plenty of times over the years.

“I’m more worried about not winning races – that’s the most important thing to me and my owners.’’

Hickman syndicated Pierata to a number of existing stable clients but got some new investors into the horse, too.

There was also a link between the past and the present on the yearling’s pedigree page, too – his great grandsire is 1995-96 Horse of the Year Octagonal, himself the sire of 2003-04 Horse of the Year, Lonhro, who in turn signed champion racehorse and unbeaten juvenile triple crown winner Pierro, the sire of Pierata.

Hickman was prepared to overlook the fact Pierata was a December foal and very immature when he went through the Magic Millions Sales ring. The trainer was already thinking of the future.

“I knew he would need plenty of time and that is why we didn’t push him as a two-year-old, we looked after the horse,’’ Hickman said.

Trainers often talk about “that moment” in trackwork when they realised their horse was a cut above the ordinary – but it was very different in Pierata’s case.

“I don’t know if there was one moment when we knew he was going to be a good horse,’’ Hickman said. “I didn’t rush him as a juvenile, he was only going galloping over 600m. He has probably only gone over 1200m three times in his life.

“He’s always had this presence about him but looking back on it, he was so immature we never asked him to do too much on the track.

“The ability was there but we had to wait for him to grow. He is like that skinny kid who they sat eats like a ‘horse’. But he is growing all the time and I honestly believe his best is ahead of him.

“We are seeing more from him now than I have ever seen from him. He is working more like a good horse now.’’

But what has always set Pierata apart is his attitude. For an entire, he’s very relaxed, professional, willing and very resilient. This must be a trait of his sire lineage as it accurately describes Octagonal, Lonhro and Pierro, too.

“Pierata’s a special horse to work with, he’s such a kind, loving horse,’’ Hickman said.

“When you watch him work it’s such a pleasure and he copes with it all so easily. He doesn’t do anything wrong, nothing bothers him, he has the greatest nature.

“He just goes about his job, walks on the track pretty happy, walks off pretty happy, does his work then puts his head in the feed bin. He’s bombproof.’’

Hickman has trained many good horses over the years including Sportsman, Sir Dex, Taxmeifyoucan, Private Secretary and his two Group 1 winners, Royal Purler and Mirjulisa Lass (2010 Vinery Stud Stakes) – and most of them purchased for bargain-basement sums.

Sportsman was an $8,000 yearling and was a multiple stakeswinner of the Expressway Stakes, Peter Pan Stakes, Shannon Stakes and Tramway Stakes, Sir Dex cost $12,000 and won more than $800,000 and Mirjulisa Lass was passed in as a yearling.

Hickman always seems to have a good galloper in his stable – but Pierata could be the horse he’s been waiting for his whole career.

Pierata has already achieved more than his predecessors – with the promise of so much more to come.

Hickman sent Pierata to the races for the first time in April last year when the colt ran fourth at Warwick Farm before he won his next start at Randwick on Anzac Day.

As Hickman pointed out, Pierata’s maiden victory was the same race that The Autumn Sun kicked off his race career with a win earlier this year.

Pierata, like The Autumn Sun, then campaigned in Brisbane during the winter but Hickman missed the spring last year to concentrate on a summer campaign which culminated in a runaway win in the Magic Millions 3yo Guineas.

Kementari then defeated Pierata in the Hobartville Stakes and Group 1 Randwick Guineas before Hickman’s horse gained revenge in an epic Missile Stakes last month.

Pierata’s only run since was a brave second to Siege Of Quebec in the Bill Ritchie Handicap two weeks ago.

“If we had a bit of luck this horse could have won eight straight,’’ Hickman said.

“We were thinking about The Everest and I think he could have run well in that race if that is how it turned out but I think the horse is looking for a mile now.

“I’m happy with the horse, he has worked super during the week and we are right on track for the Epsom.’’

There are studs circling to buy into Pierata which only adds to the importance of tomorrow’s race for Hickman and his owners.

Pierata has drawn ideally in barrier four with his main rivals, D’Argento coming out of gate one and Unforgotten from three, ensuring a compelling contest.

Hickman has only ever had one Epsom Handicap runner – Sportsman ran sixth to Clangalang in 2003 – but Pierata gives the trainer his best chance to win one of the most famous races on the turf calendar.

“The Epsom is a great race and it would be super if we could win it,’’ Hickman said.

“But I don’t really think about those things until it happens. If it comes off, happy days.

“Pierata is that level now and he got there quickly but he deserves a crack at it.

“For a stable like ours, a Group 1 would mean everything to the horse and everything to us. We have trained two Group 1 winners but to be able to have another one would be enormous.

“This is our Grand Final. You don’t get too many opportunities in life and you have got to try and make the most of these chances.’’