Greg Eurell believes talented four-year-old Mic Mac has what is required to measure up in what will be his first weight-for-age test in Saturday's Memsie Stakes at Caulfield.The four-year-old, by Storm Cat's stallion Statue Of Liberty, has been beaten only once in seven starts and looked ready to step up from handicap conditions when he scored an explosive first-up victory over All American and El Segundo in the Aurie's Star Handicap (1200m) at Flemington on August 8."Obviously this is his great
Greg Eurell believes talented four-year-old Mic Mac has what is required to measure up in what will be his first weight-for-age test in Saturday's Memsie Stakes at Caulfield.
The four-year-old, by Storm Cat's stallion Statue Of Liberty, has been beaten only once in seven starts and looked ready to step up from handicap conditions when he scored an explosive first-up victory over All American and El Segundo in the Aurie's Star Handicap (1200m) at Flemington on August 8.
"Obviously this is his great test, he's in amongst the big boys now," Eurell said.
"I'm looking forward to it. It's a bit of the unknown of course which makes it a little bit more interesting but everything he's done indicates he could make the transition so hopefully he does."
Danny Nikolic will ride Mic Mac for the first time in a race, replacing the suspended Damien Oliver in the Memsie (1400m) in which the gelding will meet El Segundo 7.5kg worse at the weights for beating the 2007 Cox Plate winner by 1-1/4 lengths in the Aurie's Star.
"Weight has a big bearing in a lot of cases and he (El Segundo) is a very good horse and he ran a super race in his first-up run, but positioning of where you are in the run obviously has a big bearing on how you get to the line," Eurell said.
"You may carve out some pretty quick sectionals but you might still be two or three lengths behind the horses in front of you."
"Our bloke put a couple of lengths on El Segundo when he let go and I don't think he was under the pump in the last portion of the race.
"We're fortunate in that Mic Mac has the ability to `possy up' where you want him to be and in a couple of his runs as a three-year-old he was running very good times carrying 57 and 57-1/2 kilograms."
Eurell said Mic Mac had come through his Aurie's Star run in fine fettle.
"Really well, no concerns at all, he came through the run terrific and he's jumping out of his skin at the moment," he said.
Stablemate Majestical, who finished a bit over two lengths behind Mic Mac in the Aurie's Star in his first start for the Eurell stable, was among the Memsie nominations, but the Cranbourne trainer said the six-year-old would run in Saturday's Gay Icarus Hcp (1400m) with Chris Symons to ride.
"The Memsie looks a tough race and he's on a course towards the Caulfield Cup so we'll just put him in races which suit him as he heads in that direction."
Among the 22 entries for the Memsie in handicapping rating order are 2007 Melbourne Cup winner Efficient; 2006 Memsie winner El Segundo; reigning Melbourne Cup winner Viewed; The BMW winner Fiumicino; the Mark Kavanagh-trained pair Sea Battle and Caulfield Guineas winner Whobegotyou; Orange County, Baughurst, Typhoon Tracy and Zarita.