Outstanding three-year-old colt Observer returns to the scene of his greatest triumph on Saturday (28 February) when he heads the G1 Australian Guineas (1600m) at Flemington in Melbourne, Australia.

The Ciaron Maher-trained son of Ghaiyyath is only in the infancy of his career but has already notched a Group 1 victory in the G1 Victoria Derby (2500m) at Flemington last November.

He was immediately sent for a spell and showed in his first-up G2 Autumn Stakes (1400m) win at Caulfield on 7 February that his best may still lie ahead.

With four wins, two seconds and a third from his eight races, Observer has already banked nearly AU$2 million. After transfer to the stable of Ciaron Maher, he started with a second in a modest benchmark 66 at Sandown and then finished third to Autumn Boy and one of Saturday’s rivals, Planet Red, in the G1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m) when he had no luck.

Next came victory in the G2 Moonee Valley Vase (2040m), followed by the Victoria Derby win.

Maher is keen for Observer to win at 1600m after his luckless run at Caulfield, where he said the colt showed that he is good enough to win at that level and distance.

“I hope he can do it for him and his future,” Maher said. “You would think he’ll only be better at Flemington, just with the style he races and the set-up of the track.

“He was good first-up, but he’d be much better at the mile and beyond.”

Maher will also saddle outsider West Swindon in the 10-horse field.

The Chris Waller-trained Sixties isn’t far behind Observer in the early betting after winning the G3 C.S. Hayes Stakes (1400m) at Flemington on 14 February, when he showed plenty of class after racing wide.

He has four wins and a second from his eight races.

Former top jockey Darren Beadman, who is part of the Waller team, said they wanted to see how Sixties performed in his first race away from Sydney and at Flemington before committing to the Australian Guineas.

“Today was a bit of a test for him, this way of going on the circle,” Beadman said after the C.S. Hayes win. “The Australian Guineas looks the ideal race for him.

“It’s a difficult task to sit three-wide here (at Flemington) from 1400 (metres),” Beadman added. “You pretty much start on the circle and you’re turning the whole time. He had the audacity to show a nice turn of foot and pin his ears back. He’s an exciting galloper.”

The Mick Price & Michael Kent Jnr-trained Planet Red finished in front of Observer in the Caulfield Guineas but was second behind him when they met first-up in the recent Autumn Stakes.

Kent admits Observer, who will race on the pace, will be hard to beat.

“He did a lot of work up front (at Caulfield), absorbed the pressure and stayed on so he should be very hard to beat.

“We’re very confident he (Planet Red) will get a strong mile. He should love the Flemington mile and he was the eye-catcher first-up. Hopefully he can go and get things done in the Guineas.”

Peter Moody & Katherine Coleman have Victorious Spirit and outsider Bingi in the race.

Moody concedes that both horses are being aimed at 2000m races, with the G1 ATC Australian Derby (2400m) the ideal target for Victorious Spirit.