Dual Guineas runner-up Veight is set to take on the older horses in the George Ryder Stakes in his latest bid to snare a valuable Group 1 win.
The George Ryder on Saturday will also be an important exercise as Veight’s connections eye a longer-term aim of the $10 million Golden Eagle during the 2024 spring.
Veight has secured two Group 2 wins and a Group 3 victory in his 10 starts to date, but a Group 1 has eluded him.
The son of Grunt has been close twice at the elite level, finishing runner-up in both the Caulfield Guineas in the spring and in the Australian Guineas at Flemington at his most recent start.
“He’s come out of the Guineas incredibly well,” co-trainer Calvin McEvoy said.
“He’s a lovely sound horse, he’s handling his racing as good as you’d hope and we were proud of his efforts in the Guineas.
“We were a bit flat to get beaten again, he’s run second in both Guineas, which shows he’s a really quality colt but he needs to win a major race.”
McEvoy said they “tossed up” a number of immediate options for Veight after the Australian Guineas, including features in either Adelaide or Brisbane, before deciding on the weight-for-age George Ryder.
“It’s probably the strongest of all of the options but we feel he’s fit and well and the three weeks in between runs and the 1500 metres at Rosehill is something that will suit him,” McEvoy said.
“We want to get him to a Golden Eagle in the spring so it will be a look at the track and trip of that race.
“It’s no doubt going to be a hard race.
“I see Fangirl is now out which is disappointing for her connections but he (Veight) will run a really good race.
“He just needs to be at his best on the day to be very competitive.”
The Everest winner Think About It heads the all-in market for the George Ryder, which attracted 23 nominations, including Group 1 Canterbury Stakes winner Lady Laguna, Kovalica, Militarize and Ciaron Maher-trained import New Energy.
Veight, who will again be ridden by Damian Lane, has raced twice already at weight-for-age this campaign for a win in the Group 2 Australia Stakes first-up and a fourth in the Group 1 CF Orr Stakes.
He will be striving to become the first three-year-old since Pierro in 2013 to win the George Ryder, while Weekend Hussler (2008), Haradasun (2007) and Racing To Win (2006) are other three-year-olds to have won in the past 20 years.
