*Article by Roger Oldridge for racing.com
Saturday's Group 3 Sir John Monash Stakes will be an education for both Malkovich and his trainer Bjorn Baker.
The three-year-old colt will step into Group company for the first time and, if he performs as hoped, will likely return to the track next autumn with sights set much higher.
"Bjorn has always had a high opinion of the horse, but you're never going to know until you put your foot in the water," Baker's racing manager Stephen McLean said.
"The times that he runs suggest that he's definitely up to this grade, he probably just got there a bit sooner than what we anticipated.
"Races like the (Black Caviar) Lightning, the Oakleigh Plate even or a couple of races up here in Sydney like the Galaxy, but he has to measure up with them this Saturday to even warrant considering those going forward.
"Saturday is going to really tell us where we're going with him."
Trained by Baker at Sydney's Warwick Farm, Malkovich made his first foray to Melbourne last start where he carried 61kg in winning a three-year-old handicap over 1000m by 1.25 lengths.
"Bjorn rang me straight after he won last start and said chase a jockey for the Monash, so we got straight on to Jamie Kah and then it was just provided he travelled home safe and well and pulled up nicely," McLean explained.
"The guys that got him off the float on the Monday morning said he was just bouncing, he was full of beans and put his head straight into the feed bin, which is always a good sign.
"He's actually a pretty cruisy horse; the only way you know he's here is if you're physically looking at him.
"You wouldn't even know he's a colt to be honest."
Malkovich will float down from Sydney on Thursday night and arrive early Friday morning at the stables of Busuttin Racing, with who Baker has a reciprocal agreement when they travel horses between Melbourne and Sydney.
Malkovich is a WBF Early Education Graduate
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