Champion trainer Chris Waller is still learning about the timing and effects of maturity in his horses and he was given another lesson when D'Argento continued his unbeaten record at Randwick on Saturday.
The So You Think colt is on the path to the Randwick Guineas after a third consecutive win, while stablemate Paret is looking for answers after he finished last in the same race.
The point of difference in preparations was the fact that Paret was pushed to the Flemington carnival in the spring.
"I did the wrong thing with Paret, I did the right thing with D'Argento," Waller said. "I stopped with him after a couple of runs and gave him time to mature.
"Maturity is a funny thing, not many people can read it. I'm not saying I can.
"But it can make such a big difference to horses. You see it in their confidence and way they handle things.
"I have learned so much about it in the past year and continue to learn and having a group of horses at the same level you kept learning."
Waller had been open that he thought he had good crop of three-year-olds resuming for the autumn, but it was D'Argento that shone.
"That was something he couldn't have done last time and it shows his maturity," Waller said. "He is a different horse now."
The grey son of So You Think settled back, took the inside runs that Hugh Bowman asked him for and then had the turn of foot to beat leader Shumookh by a neck as the pair put three lengths on their rivals.
"Our filly had a good kick but the other horse was too strong for her. We think she is pretty good still," Shumookh's co-trainer Adrian Bott said.
Waller will send D'Argento to the Hobartville Stakes next month and he received a ringing endorsement from Bowman.
"I felt early on that you would need 10 furlongs [2000m] to see the best of him. He has really learnt the trade and I think he will be very effective at a high level at 1600m to 2000," Bowman said.
"He jumped out very quickly, then settled when asked to. He zipped up on the inside and made his own luck and had the turn of foot to capitalise on that.
"There are signs there of a horse that is going to go on to better things."
D'Argento ran home in 33.05, while Paret's last 600m was 33.66. Only Shumookh produced a better closing section. Paret's jockey Glyn Schofield told stewards that he felt Paret was going to run into the race on the turn but just stopped and he is looking for further.
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