Tony Pike isn’t expecting Maldini to have any trouble making his mark in stronger company following his hollow victory at Tauranga on Saturday.
The Cambridge trainer has a decent opinion of the Gerry Harvey-bred son of Tarzino, who has continued to improve with time.
The four-year-old had placed in four of his previous seven appearances, including a resuming third at Hastings last month behind Billy Lincoln, who subsequently won again at Trentham.
All the better for that outing, Maldini came from back in the field to easily put away his maiden rivals over 1400 metres.
“He’s been a work in progress this horse and has wanted to over-race, but he is a lot better this preparation,” Pike said.
“He was really strong late and he should go on with it now. He had gone to Hawke’s Bay without a trial and had improved a lot.”
Maldini was tardily out of the gate at Tauranga and settled back on the fence and was into clear air on straightening when runners fanned wide.
Rider Per-Anders Graberg asked the gelding for a serious effort and he quickly responded to surge clear and win by two and a half lengths.
“Tony asked me to get him relaxed and we got a good trip and he quickened really nicely,” the visiting Swedish jockey said.
Bought out of Westbury’s Karaka draft for $55,000, Maldini is the first foal to race for the Testa Rossa mare Cristallo Rosso, who is a half-sister to the multiple Group 2 winner and Group 1 performer Palacio De Cristal.
They are out of the G1 Queensland Oaks winner Crystal Palace and she is a sister to the three-time elite level winner and sire Naturalism.
Cristallo Rosso has an unraced three-year-old brother to Maldini and then produced a son and a daughter of Reliable Man and is in foal to Redwood.