Brett Lazzarini is the first to admit juvenile Steel Blaze is far from the finished product.
But that is exactly what excites him as the horse prepares to lay another career foundation at Rosehill on Saturday.
By Japanese Group 1 winner Real Steel out of ATC Australian Oaks and Sydney Cup placegetter Aliyana Tilde, Steel Blaze is bred to stay so time and distance will be in his favour.
Already standing at 16.2 hands and yet to grow into his frame, the colt was far from disgraced when fourth to the promising Congregation over 1300m at Rosehill last start and Lazzarini believes he is over the odds as a $101 chance for Saturday’s The Agency Real Estate Handicap (1400m).
“He could run a place or do something on Saturday without surprising me, just on raw ability,” Lazzarini said.
“But you’ll see a lot better horse next time in.
“He’s shown us a lot of ability but he’s yet to put it all together.
“It’s like when you see a big, gangly kid at 14 and the little kids are running around them in circles but by the time they get to 17, the big kids have caught up and they outrun them.
“It’s there and when the pieces of the jigsaw come together, he is going to be a very nice horse.”
Saturday’s race will be Steel Blaze’s final run as a two-year-old with Lazzarini keen to give him a short break and set his sights on the spring.
He is hoping he has a classic horse on his hands and if he’s right, the Victoria Derby is the likely goal.
