Mahuta caps big spring with Guineas win

Saturday 14 November 2015, 6:21pm

Jockey Brad Rawiller was so impressed with Mahuta's Sandown Guineas victory that he predicted the horse might be good enough to contest the Cox Plate next year.

Mahuta continued a spring rise with his fourth-straight victory in Saturday's Group Two race, adding to a memorable carnival for Melbourne Cup-winning trainer Darren Weir.

Mahuta won his maiden at Kyneton four starts ago before adding a Listed win at Caulfield and Group Three Carbine Club Stakes success at Flemington leading into the Guineas.

"We said after last start the Australian Guineas is his go (in the autumn), and the way he pulled up today, you never know twelve months down the track he might be in a Cox Plate," Rawiller said.

Sent out the $5 chance, Mahuta had to sit three wide just behind the leaders from a deep barrier but Rawiller said the colt was in a good rhythm and the son of Flying Spur put the race away when he burst clear from the 300m.

Dal Cielo ($6) closed late but could only get to within 1-1/4 lengths of the winner while Don't Doubt Mamma ($6) ran into third another length away.

Rawiller admitted the Cox Plate call might have been a "rush of blood" but was taken by how well the colt went through the line over 1600m, indicating a rise in distance wouldn't be a problem.

"Obviously that's pie in the sky sort of thoughts but in 12 months you never know. You've seen how far this horse has come. And he was better again today than the other day.

"That was impressive today."

Mahuta's win clinched Weir the Premier Spring Trainer title, and he said the three-year-old was a good, tough horse.

"He always showed promise from day one, I'm not sure about that sort of promise, but he's just one of those horses that got into a purple patch and just keeps improving," Weir said.

The Australian Guineas is the likely autumn target for Mahuta.

– AAP

Latest News

Prime Thoroughbreds - We have a Host of Leaders in our Team

Tuesday, 29 June 2021

Prime Thor­ough­bred’s cur­rent rac­ing team is putt­ing to­gether quite a re­cord. We have 22 hors­es that have raced in our team at pre­sent. Six­teen of th­ese are win­n­ers in­clud­ing the Stakes win­n­ing trio Ru­bisa­ki, Fituese and Xtreme­time with Miss Di­vine Em and Miss In Charge run­n­ing 4th in Stakes races. This sees a stakes win­n­er to win­n­er ra­tio of 18.75% with a stake’s per­formed to win­n­er ra­tio of 31.25%. Th­ese are ex­cep­tio­n­al fig­ures.   More »

Freedmans land maiden Group One win

Saturday, 27 February 2021

Un­der-rat­ed fil­ly For­bid­den Love has emerged as an au­tumn car­ni­val smokey with a bril­liant per­for­mance to win the Sur­round Stakes at Rand­wick.  More »

Capriccio completes Damian Lane treble

Saturday, 27 February 2021

In a big day for coun­try-trained hors­es, War­r­nam­bool fil­ly Capric­cio has tak­en out the In­glis Dash for Daniel Bow­man.  More »

More news headlines »