Trainer John O’Shea believes he has the right style of horse in Maximal to pick up a Melbourne middle distance feature race.
But whether that comes on Saturday in the Group 1 Australian Cup (2000m) at Flemington, O’Shea is not too sure.
UK import Maximal came to Australia last year to contest the Golden Eagle, finishing sixth, at Rosehill after which he was given a break to commence an autumn campaign.
After two trials, Maximal finished last in the Group 2 Apollo Stakes (1400m) at Randwick on February 12, beaten 9-½ lengths by Australian Cup favourite Think It Over.
Then a wet track two weeks later forced Maximal to miss out on a start in preparation for his autumn campaign, but O’Shea said he saw signs the entire was progressing nicely in a gallop on Wednesday.
“He worked this morning left-handed, and he was great,” O’Shea told RSN.
“He’s a really talented horse that had the misfortune of trainer error at his first run and then inclement weather stopped him having another run over a mile when he was going really well.
“He hasn’t had the best preparation going into the Australian Cup but he’s a talented horse that can give a good account of himself.
“Hopefully you’ll see him back in Melbourne again when he’s had the right preparation and I think the horse could win a race of that nature without any shadow of doubt.”
O’Shea is mindful of the indifferent preparation Maximal has had in attempting to turn the tables on Think It Over.
But O’Shea said if the entire brings his A-game, he would be competitive in any race he contests.
“I think he will be well suited at Flemington, he will be well suited on dry ground, and he’ll be well suited at the 10 furlongs,” O’Shea said.
“But, Think It Over is going really well and has had continuity to his program and is third-up coming to a peak, whereas my bloke is second-up with a month break after a negative first-up run.
“If he can’t beat him on Saturday, it would be fair to say he will never beat him.”