Lightly-raced three-year-old Enjin Number Nine is Australian Guineas-bound if he can hold his form in the Listed Manfred Stakes at Caulfield.Trained by Mathew Ellerton and Simon Zahra, the gelding has won two of his three starts but faces a steep class rise in Saturday's 1200m feature.Among his rivals is dual Group One winner Star Witness who is all the rage at $1.70 with TAB Sportsbet.Ellerton said he would have preferred an easier assignment at this stage for Enjin Number Nine ($11) but race o

Lightly-raced three-year-old Enjin Number Nine is Australian Guineas-bound if he can hold his form in the Listed Manfred Stakes at Caulfield.

Trained by Mathew Ellerton and Simon Zahra, the gelding has won two of his three starts but faces a steep class rise in Saturday's 1200m feature.

Among his rivals is dual Group One winner Star Witness who is all the rage at $1.70 with TAB Sportsbet.

Ellerton said he would have preferred an easier assignment at this stage for Enjin Number Nine ($11) but race options were limited.

After winning his Bendigo debut and finishing an encouraging fifth to Flokkati in his first campaign, he beat five others when scoring first-up at odds-on against class one horses over 1212m at Geelong on January 25.

"He is a very promising horse but it is probably not ideal stepping from a class one to this grade," Ellerton said.

"The program is forcing my hand a bit with him but it will give us a guide where he is at."

A New Zealand Ready To Run purchase for $NZ36,000, Enjin Number Nine is among the first crop by Japan Racehorse of the Year and 2004 Japan Cup winner Zenno Rob Roy.

He is the first foal from dual New Zealand winner Sal and is potentially the best performer on his maternal line for at least four generations.

Glen Boss will ride Enjin Number Nine for the first time on Saturday and the gelding is at $41 for the Australian Guineas (1600m) at Flemington on March 5.

Star Witness is the heavily-backed $6 Guineas favourite but if he makes, as expected, a successful return in the Manfred he would firm again.

Although not engaged on Saturday, Anacheeva is $11 second favourite to add the Australian Guineas to his Caulfield Guineas win last spring.