Weir’s stable stars warming up for the Spring

Victoria’s leading trainer Darren Weir’s stable stars are starting to warm up for the Spring with Mahuta being tested in a solid gallop at Burrumbeet racecourse on Thursday morning.

Mahuta, above, is likely to resume for the Spting in the Regal Roller Stakes at Caulfield. Photo by Daniel Costello.

Mahuta, above, is likely to resume for the Spting in the Regal Roller Stakes at Caulfield. Photo by Daniel Costello.

Weir said that rising four year old Mahuta is well into his Spring Carnival preparation and is ready to have a jump out on his way to a probable return to the race track in the Listed $120,000 Regal Roller Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield on August 13.

“Mahuta had a good strong half mile gallop. He has come along really well and he is ready to have a quiet jump out,” Weir said on RSN’s Racing Ahead.

“He will resume in the Real Roller and then head towards the Group 1 races from there I hope.”

“Probably the Memsie I think, something like that, 1400m and then probably the Makybe Diva, he might go that far.”

The weight for age Group 1 $500,000 Memsie Stakes (1400m) will be run at Caulfield on August 27 while the Group 1 WFA $500,000 Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) is run at Flemington a fortnight later.

Mahuta was one of the finds of the 2015 Spring Carnival and strung together four wins on the trot ending up with a win in the Group 2 $250,000 Sandown Guineas (1600m) at Sandown at the end of the Carnival.

The Flying Spur three year old then went on to win the $2m Magic Millions 3yo Guineas (1400m) at the Gold Coast in January and then continued on his winning way by taking out the Group 2 $200,000 Autumn Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on February 13.

Weir is getting excited with the Spring Carnival just around the corner and said that several of his other stable stars will be asked to step up their work in the coming weeks.

“Next week we will start galloping a few more of the horses that are heading towards the Spring like Palentino, Signoff and those sort of horses,” the Melbourne Cup winning trainer said.

Weir is very pleased how Signoff has spelled after winning the Group 3 $120,000 Lord Reims Stakes (2600m) at Morphettville on March 5 and is looking forward to preparing him for the major Spring races.

“He is very good and he has plenty of condition on which is probably good, he has a big campaign ahead of him,” Weir said.

“He didn’t have long off. He only had a month off after he won in Adelaide.”

“He put on 45kg or something in that short of time. He couldn’t have any longer off because he is that type of horse, a great doing horse, so we had to get him back in work.”

“It is slowly coming off. But he is big, strong and very sound so I am happy with him at this stage.”

Signoff looks likely to clash during the Spring with last year’s Melbourne Cup winner Prince Of Penzance who has just resumed work as well after having a short break following his one start in the Autumn which saw him run a great second to stablemate Tonopah in the Group 3 $150,000 R A Lee Stakes (1600m) at Morphettville on May 21.

About The Author

Mark Mazzaglia

Mark is a passionate journalist with a life-time involvement in the racing industry. He spent many years as an analyst and form expert at the Courier Mail and also has hands-on experience working with some of Queensland’s top trainers.