A fitter Boban looks hard to beat at Flemington. Picture: Mark Evans/dailytelegraph.com.au
The Chris Waller trained Boban ticks all the boxes heading to the Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes at Flemington. The specialist miler is third up on Saturday and that’s when he hits his best form. Twice before the five-year-old has won elite 1600m events third run in - the Chipping Norton (G1) in the autumn and the Epsom (G1) last spring. To add further weight to his claims, the last time the son of Bernardini raced at the roomier Flemington track he took out the Group 1 Emirates Stakes, again over a mile at last year’s Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival. Boban’s last start conqueror in the Memsie Stakes Dissident and Puissance De Lune are highly fancied, while Messene has been easy after disappointing in the Memsie.
Also at Flemington is the Group 2 Let’s Elope Stakes over 1400m. Gregers appears to have the fitness edge on her main rivals, but the topweight Commanding Jewel will be better for finishing a close third to Gregers at her first run this campaign. The Leon and Troy Corstens trained mare is unbeaten second up and loves the big track, where she finished her last prep with an impressive victory in this exact race twelve months ago. Look out for Solicit who flies fresh.
In Sydney, the Group 1 Golden Rose will be contested at Rosehill. Peter Moody's exciting filly Bring Me The Maid has been heavily supported on TattsBet, while stablemate Better Land is also well-fancied. Group 1 winner Almalad will improve on a dry track, while the unbeaten Hallowed Crown has a wide draw .
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Chris Bombolas - Tatts Senior Writer

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