Ciaron Maher’s imports have been handed the visitor’s draws in the Group One George Ryder Stakes, but he is hoping both can overcome their gates and make their presence felt.
Maher will start New Energy from barrier 16 and Cosmic Vega from 18, the former having made an eye-catching Australian debut when he flashed home for second to Phearson in the Liverpool City Cup (1300m).
That performance also augurs well for Cosmic Vega, who will be having his first local start in Saturday’s George Ryder Stakes (1500m) at Rosehill, but who claimed the scalp of New Energy when they clashed at Listed level overseas.
“He beat New Energy in England. He’s a quick, on-speed horse,” Maher said of Cosmic Vega.
“We thought we’d bring him down through quarantine in Australia and he has thrived.
“He’s done really well and on face value he has travelled really well. So far, so good.”
Both horses arrived in Australia relatively lightly raced.
Six-year-old Cosmic Vega is the more experienced of the two with four wins from 22 starts over distances up to a mile.
New Energy, younger by a year, has won one of his 12 starts but he has been Group 1 placed in the 2022 Irish 2000 Guineas (1609m).
A backmarker, New Energy is expected to be suited by the big George Ryder field, which Maher is hoping produces a strong tempo.
“He ran super first-up and that’s why we opted to go to the Ryder,” he said.
“It’s a good race, it will be a good tempo and it’s around his trip.”
Maher also has Tiz Invincible in the race, who fared better in the draw with barrier six.
However, she will have to break a long drought for the fillies with Heat Of The Moment the last of her gender and age to win the George Ryder in 1986.
In fact, three-year-olds have an average recent record, none prevailing since Pierro in 2013 and of the 16 to have attempted he feat since then, just five have managed a place.
That statistic hasn’t discouraged the connections of the four three-year-olds lining up this weekend, with Militarize, Veight and Encap joining Tiz Invincible in the field.
Encap finished a luckless fifth in the Randwick Guineas (1600m) last start and given that distance was towards the end of the gelding’s range, Gary Portelli said it ruled out Saturday’s Rosehill Guineas (2000m) as an option.
“He has to go around in the George Ryder, although unfortunately he bounces out of three-year-old grade and goes up against the older horses at weight-for-age,” Portelli said.
“He won’t run 2000 metres, so we had to find another race.
“But he is going well.”