For the past couple of years champion trainer Darren Weir has unearthed an unheralded three-year-old colt who has worked through his classes and announced himself with some good performances towards the end of the spring.

Last year it was Stratum Star, who won four times and ran second on Derby day in the Carbine Club Stakes as well as finishing in the runner-up spot behind Petrology in the Sandown Guineas.

That horse has gone on to become a group 1 winner this spring, scoring in the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes at Caulfield in September.

The year before it was Trust In A Gust, who won six times between September 2013 and January 2014; he later became a group 1 winner in the spring of 2014, winning the Super Rupert Clarke and the Toorak Handicap.

Could Mahuta be following in their footsteps?

The son of Flying Spur made it three wins on the spin when he went one better than Stratum Star (who was beaten by subsequent Doncaster winner Kermadec 12 months ago) and took out the Carbine Club stakes, the opening event on Derby day.

Mahuta showed plenty of courage in taking up the running early in the straight under Brad Rawiller and defying all efforts to run him down. The $7 shot scored by a neck from country-trained Patch Adams ($26), who was doing his best work at the finish, with favourite Bassett ($3.40) a short head away in third place.

The progressive Mahuta only broke his duck at Kyneton less than a month ago and followed up with a win at listed level at Caulfield a week later. The Carbine Club is a group 3 event, and he will now try to succeed where Stratum Star failed by adding the group 2 Sandown Guineas to his tally in a fortnight's time.

"It's hard to put feelings to words right now, he's an amazing colt. Credit goes to Darren for preparing him the way he has," said Leigh Saville, a spokesman for the Roll The Dice syndicate which owns the horse.

"He was strong at the end. The Flemington straight is the longest in Australia and it can seem even further when you are in front. Darren has always said third or fourth-up this horse will be ready to fire, we were asking some questions after his first few runs, does he know what he is on about, but he certainly does and he is showing it now.

"As a two-year-old he showed a lot of ability but he went shinny on us. He's a half brother to Anlon [a listed Flemington winner for the Weir stable two seasons ago]. We have always had a bit of an opinion of him but the blinkers have just turned him around."

Rawiller said he was always confident despite setting sail for home a long way out. "He switched right off, took the sit, and I had to make a pretty decisive move early. To his credit he really toughed it out strongly."

Stawell-based Terry O'Sullivan is a shrewd bush trainer who doesn't bring horses to Flemington just for a day out, and he believes that had the race been a little longer his $26 shot would have got to the winner.

O'Sullivan will now take Mahuta on in the Sandown Guineas, where he should be a good chance.

"I gave him a week off after the Stutt Stakes and decided to attack the Carbine Club and the Sandown Guineas. I put the earmuffs on because he hasn't been dropping his head and relaxing, but he did today. Steve [Arnold, his jockey] said he got back a bit further than he wanted to but he didn't want to give him a dig in the guts because he didn't want him to start over-racing again, which he can do. He's got to learn to drop his head and relax instead of wanting to get it done too quickly."