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By Ray Hickson

Space Age has been a revelation for Ciaron Maher this preparation but the champion trainer concedes he’s setting the in-form gelding a task at Randwick on Saturday.

Trainer Ciaron Maher (Pic: Steve Hart)

It’s not a challenge he thinks is beyond the five-year-old but if he’s to post back-to-back Randwick mile wins in the Toyota Forklifts Handicap (1600m) he’ll need to do it with 7kg more and on a dry track.

The simple reason for Space Age’s hefty weight rise from carrying 52kg two weeks ago to the 59kg, after Zac Wadick’s 3kg claim, is that he’s dropping in class from winning at Benchmark 88 level into a Benchmark 78 race.

He was accepted for the Premier's Cup Prelude at 1800m with 52kg and while Maher said on SEN he’d love to be right down in the weights again, given his on-pace racing style, he feels he has a horse at the top of his game.

“We go from one end of the scale to the other, from bottom weight carrying 52kg to top weight and claiming,'' Maher said.

"But the horse is in really good form and I think he can go on with it.

“I’d rather last start’s scenario being bottom weight and having a crack at them, especially when you are a leader, but the horse hasn’t taken a backward step at all.”

Wadick partnered Space Age, $5.50 with TAB on Thursday, to his last start win on a heavy 8 and it’s safe to say the horse is an unknown on dry ground given in his five starts in Australia he’s had four runs on heavy and one on a soft 7.

Maher has added the blinkers to Steel City in an effort to put her in the finish of what he sees as a winnable Group 2 $300,000 Darley Missile Stakes (1200m).

A winner of one from 10 starts, the mare was a Group 3 winner of the Magic Night Stakes last year and contested the 2023 Golden Slipper but she’s been unplaced in four starts this campaign.

However, Maher has seen some merit in her efforts.

“She’s improved every start and I’ve put the shades on, I think she will improve again,’’ he said.

“It’s not the strongest edition of the Missile and we’ve got the fitness edge on our side and with blinkers she’ll need to find a couple of lengths and I think she will.

“A top three chance is certainly what we’re aiming for.”

It’s been a show of patience from Maher with debut winner It’s A Knockout who has her second race start in the Inglis Yearling Entries Close 16 August Handicap (1400m).

The Dundeel four-year-old scored on the Kensington track on July 17 and has been entered and scratched from a few different assignments in the past week or so.

“We’ve waited a while for this horse and she was really good first-up,’’ he said.

“We scratched from (Wednesday) for this, it’s hard to win your first and then win your second straight up especially in Saturday form but the horse is well.”

Meanwhile, Maher is rapt with how Queen Elizabeth Stakes winner Pride Of Jenni is progressing ahead of her return due at the end of the month.

The exciting seven-year-old is on target to attempt the ‘royal double’ in the Group 1 King Charles III Stakes (1600m) on TAB Everest Day and Maher said he feels she may be in better shape than at the start of her last campaign.

Space Age wins at Randwick on July 27

“She spelled very well and has come up very well, she may be a little more forward than when she raced in the autumn,’’ he said.

“She made nice progression from her first jump out to her second.

“She’s got time before (racing at) the end of the month and she may have another one or I might take her away for a couple of racecourse gallops.”

All the fields, form and replays for Saturday’s Randwick meeting