Darren Weir has proved he can train just about any horse to win any race on any day if conditions are right, but he is particularly adept at taking a tough, hardened improving three-year-old colts and geldings through the grades during the spring.
Year after year, with horses such as Trust in a Gust, Stratum Star and Mahuta Weir, he has shown his prowess, getting those gallopers to knock up a series of wins as they work their way up to group race level.
Snitzepeg, who got Weir off the mark in the second race of Caulfield cup day, the Polytrack Gothic Stakes, is cut very much from the same cloth as the aforementioned trio.
He showed improved form to win at Flemington last time out, springing a surprise when he took the listed Poseidon Stakes, and he continued in the same vein at Caulfield on Saturday when he scored over the same 1400 metre trip.
He will now follow a well-trodden path to the Carbine Club Stakes over 1600 metres at Flemington on Derby day, with the trainer having no doubt that he will stay the trip.
"When he went to Queensland [last winter] he was probably just a little bit disappointing, but everything came to an end and he spelled well up there," Weir said.
"The plan was to have him going for these races, aim towards the Carbine Club and see whether he was good enough. He has made the right improvement in the past two weeks.
"You have got to be tough so you can get the work into them, so they can make their own luck in racing [on the pace]. It's what Mahuta used to do.
"The way he was on the line he will get a mile, he has got a very similar racing style to Mahuta, up on the speed and make your own luck.
"It's very hard to get horses to the races as fit and as sound as what he was today."
Jockey Craig Williams added: "He got the penalty from last time and he gave me a lovely ride throughout. He was keen. When I say keen, he was keen to get on with the job and win. And he won nicely, for my liking."
Earlier in the day Our Crown Witness gave Gai Waterhouse and rider Stephen Baster the first leg of an early afternoon double (completed in the third event by Pinot) with an impressive performance in the opening Resimax Group Plate for three-year-old fillies.
The grey jumped on the pace as misty rain began falling and pounced on the leader at the turn to defeat the front-running Naantali and the fast-finishing Counterplay, who blew her chances when she missed the start.
"On a cold blustery day she certainly put a bit of sunlight in our day," Waterhouse said.
"She's a very serious filly and she is a filly on the up."
Waterhouse said the stable had decided to move the daughter of Star Witness through the grades slowly, deciding "small fish are sweet" and bypassed the Thousand Guineas to attack the more winnable race on Caulfield cup day.
Our Crown Witness, who was ridden by Stephen Baster, will now head to Flemington for a 1400 metres race for fillies with her English owners, Johnny and Susie McKeever, set to travel to Australia for the carnival.
Winning rider Baster said: "She's a very good filly, she only just got beat at her first start, otherwise she'd be unbeaten.
"I had to do a little bit of work, obviously the 1400m if you're drawing wide you have to work up the hill, which isn't ideal.
"I just took my time and when I lobbed to the outside [of Naantali] and relaxed so well, I knew I was going to be hard to beat."
