The Tony Stratford-trained squaregaiter made it four wins from six starts this season with a bold front-running performance for driver Dexter Dunn.
That superb recent form has Stratford thinking the horse could be a open-class performer this time next year.
"If we look after him this season he might be in a race like the Dominion next season," he said.
Stratford thinks the horse’s high speed will go a long way towards helping him measure up at the top level.
"He has got really high speed. He could run a 26sec quarter [400m], he said.
"If he was tucked away against the good ones he would give them plenty to think about.
"That high speed was responsible for the horse’s surprise gallop when racing into contention in his last start at Gore.
The 4yr-old was simply running around the final turn too quickly before he broke, Stratford said.
War Machine was fast again yesterday, breaking the 2700m Roxburgh track record by 1.6sec.Stratford’s main aim this season will be looking after his horse rather than trying to rush him through the grades.
"He raced at 2 and as a 3yr-old, so we are just trying to look after him.
"I couldn’t see him racing too deep into the season, past the autumn."
Later on the Roxburgh card, Dunn won with the Graeme Anderson-trained Smooth Mara. As with so many horses that have gone through his stable, Anderson found immediate success with a previously tried and out-of-form horse.
Dunn sat the horse outside the leader in the final lap before throwing down the gauntlet to his rivals going down the back straight.
