The Ciaron Maher team is looking well ahead with lightly raced youngster Amazake, who returns to Flemington for his second career start in Friday’s Listed Anzac Day Stakes (1400m).
A close runner-up on debut over the same track and trip on March 29, the gelding is now stepping up to Stakes company, with Maher hoping to land a third win in the race, following victories with Throssell in 2016 and Merchant Navy in 2017.
Throssell faded from prominence soon after his Stakes success, while Merchant Navy became a dual Group 1 winner, including triumphing in the Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Unlike Merchant Navy, Amazake has a pedigree that suggests a greater stamina profile, with longer races likely in his future.
“On pedigree, without going too early, he’s potentially a Derby type if he stays,” said Jack Turnbull, Maher’s assistant trainer.
“That’s his page, but he’ll get to a mile and a little further fairly quickly.
“To race the way he did on debut sets him up to go to Friday and then whether we pull up stumps and have a rest for the spring, I’m not sure, but he’s very likeable.”
Amazake finished second to Prestige Ole on debut and will face that rival again on Friday. To maintain his sharpness between runs, he had a jump-out at Avoca over 1000m on April 14.
“He had a tick over jump-out. We used it as a gallop as we are a month between runs and he’s been really good since,” Turnbull said.
“He’s really professional, he’s a competitor.
“We were on the fence about his ability when we debuted him at Flemington.
“We knew he went OK, but we thought he might come unstuck a little bit, but he got into a really good spot, travelled well and put in a really good effort.”
Amazake currently sits on the third line of betting at $7.50, trailing Legacy Bound ($2.70) and Stay Cosmic ($6.50).