Three-year-old racing in the spring requires a horse to take a step forward with every appearance and Masculino has a chance to do that at Moonee Valley on Saturday.
The Mick Price-trained colt has a Benalla maiden and a Cranbourne Class 1 win to his name but gets another chance in town in the Sweeney Handicap (1509m).
Price said Masculino is a developing type but the opposition will be significantly tougher in Saturday's $120,000 assignment.
"Masculino is a big leggy young three-year-old colt that is learning," Price said. "It's the time of the year when all of the good ones come out to play and I understand that.
"He has got to get around Moonee Valley but he'll be competitive and he's learning all the time."
Price said the Moonee Valley race attracted a certain type of three-year-old, which made the target more attractive than the Listed Exford Plate (1400m) at Flemington on Saturday week.
"You have got different formlines. The more grinding three-year-old comes here (Moonee Valley) versus the ones that will go into the Exford into the Caulfield Guineas Prelude and the Caulfield Guineas," Price said.
"I've tried to steer him into the lesser of the formlines but it will just depend on how he gets around Moonee Valley I think."
"Once he gets into the better three-year-old company, it might sort him out. I think he'll get a good 1600m but I'm not sure he'll sprint as well as the better ones."
Jake Noonan will retain the ride on Masculino on Saturday and was aboard the son of Smart Missile in a gallop with stablemate Special Diva at Moonee Valley on Tuesday morning.
Price said the pair produced "pretty good work" with Special Diva to contest the opening race of the day, the Ladbrokes Odds Boost Handicap (1600m).
The scratching of the Lindsay Park runner Mutamayel, who will run in Adelaide on Saturday, has pushed Masculino into $8 in CrownBet's market on the Sweeney Handicap.
Special Diva is also an $8 chance to win her race with Mark Zahra aboard.
