Growing Empire will need to live up to the lofty expectations placed on him by the Ciaron Maher stable if he is to win the Newmarket Handicap at Flemington.
The three-year-old has been lumbered with 55.5kg in the Group 1 1200m sprint on Saturday, more weight than recent three-year-olds have carried to victory.
Cylinder (51.5kg), In Secret (51.5), Bivouac (54kg) and Sunlight (50.5) have won the Newmarket Handicap for the three-year-olds in the past six years, and except for Cylinder, all had been Group 1 winners in the lead up to their Newmarket successes.
Growing Empire has yet to win at the highest level, but Maher’s assistant trainer Jack Turnbull believes it is only a matter of time.
“He has got plenty of weight, but he is a star colt. We’ve always said it,” Turnbull said.
“You look at his form last preparation. Third in the Coolmore, third in The Everest, he got beaten on the line by Southport Tycoon in the Manikato.
“Not many three-year-olds could do that with the travel as well.”
Turnbull said the stable had removed the blinkers from Growing Empire in a bid to get him to settle behind the speed on Saturday after racing keenly when seventh in the Group 1 Lightning Stakes (1000m) at Flemington on February 15 when resuming.
“He was exposed to the wind on the inside and he just raced with the choke out a little bit and didn’t really travel and relax and get into a rhythm,” Turnbull said.
“We’ll be riding for cover and then to use his turn of foot.
“If saved up, he is quite electric.”
The Maher stable will also be represented in the Newmarket by Buenos Noches who will be having his first run for the stable having been prepared by Matthew Smith previously.
Buenos Noches will be lining up for his third shot at Newmarket glory, having finished seventh in 2023 and ninth last year.
“He’s kept improving in the time we’ve had him,” Turnbull said.
“He’s been up at our beach property in NSW for the most part and has been with us down here for around five weeks.
“He’s had three jump-outs, the second with blinkers on, which he completely resented, and he jumped-out quite poor, so we’ve stripped him back and changed things up.
“He’s an interesting character. He’s got the runs on the board, but he hasn’t done it for some time, and he needs to get back to that.
“He is a valuable commodity if he does win a big one and if we can get him back, I’m sure we can have some fun with him.”
