A campaign in Melbourne aimed specifically at the Victoria Derby looks right on track for Mr Maestro who completed a winning hat-trick in the Caulfield Classic.
Victory in the Group 3 race for three-year-olds over 2000m on Saturday is the ideal launching pad for Mr Maestrro in the Group 1 Victoria Derby (2000m) at Flemington on November 1.
Mr Maestro is a dual Flemington winner having won there over 1800m on September 18 and again on October 1 and trainer Andrew Forsman admitted to some pre-race nerves despite his three-year-old having impeccable form leading into Saturday’s race.
With Harry Coffey taking over aboard Mr Maestro with Damian Lane in Sydney riding at The Everest meeting, Mr Maestro, the $1.70 favourite, scored a short-head win from Muramasa ($6.50) with Distrustful Award ($15) two lengths away third.
With only two weeks until the Derby, Forsman is planning a quiet week for Mr Maestro before stepping up the work in the week leading up to the staying feature for three-year-olds.
Runner-up Muramasa made Mr Maestro work for the hat-trick.
“It didn’t quite pan out as we would have liked,” Forsman said.
“Small field, slowly run and I was a little bit nervous that it might pan out like that, but we had to be confident that he was the best horse.
“Full credit to Harry. He could have panicked and gone a bit too soon. He galloped him up at Flemington last Saturday morning and I think he knew what he had underneath him.
Forsman was pleased to see the track upgraded from the Heavy range on Friday to a Soft 7 after the running of Saturday’s first race.
“This is the path we wanted to take into the race,” Forsman said.
“I was a little bit nervous about running him on a testing track, so it could have been a lot worse.”
Mr Maestro’s win completed a race-to-race double for Forsman after Saint Bathans took out the Lamaro’s Hotel Grand Handicap (1700m).