Flemington Blackbookers August 1 – Horses to Follow & Blackbookers from Flemington on Saturday August 1

Here are our blackbookers and horses to follow from the action.

Nice debut by Santa Barbara. The new-season three-year-old was very easy in the betting, going from $12 to $21 before the jump, but defied the drift by producing a real eye-catcher to only narrowly miss out behind Almontego, who had the benefit of a run down the straight a fortnight ago. Santa Barbara settled just worse than midfield before being shuffled back and held up from the 300m to the 200m before getting out and posting the fastest last 200m of the entire meeting. Keep an eye out for her at her next start.

Didn't mind the run of Darkbonee in Race 4. The Symon Wilde-trained galloper was resuming from a spell and settled back in the 14-horse field before doing his best work late when running on to fill the exacta behind Itazura. That kept intact his record of never finishing outside the top three in nine career starts. The five-year-old is definitely one to consider at his next race start, having won both of his previous second-up runs, and will appreciate a likely step up in distance next time.

Lindsay Park's progressive import looks a horse capable of climbing well through the grades and into some feature races after another dominant Flemington victory. The lightly raced five-year-old made it five wins and three placings from just nine starts, backing up an eye-catching first-up second at Sandown by putting his rivals away with ease over 1620m. Despite covering more ground than expected, he was strong through the line to score by two lengths, suggesting there is still plenty in reserve. Both Ben Hayes and Blake Shinn believe Touchdown is far from the finished product, with his long stride and racing style indicating he will only improve as he steps up in distance. He looks well placed to continue his rise through the spring and is a horse worth following wherever he heads next.