Flemington Blackbookers and horses to follow from November 2
- Benagil can improve to give the Thousand Guineas a shake later this month
- Steparty looks to be back near his three-year-old form
- Cigar Flick has returned in good order for Chris Waller
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - NOVEMBER 02: Jamie Kah ((R) rides Another Wil to win race 4 The Damien Oliver during 2024 Penfolds Victoria Derby Day at Flemington Racecourse on November 02, 2024 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)
Adam Cusworth picks out his blackbookers and horses to follow from Saturday racing at Flemington on November 2.
- Race 2, The Vanity (Group 2, 3YO Fillies)- Benagil
- Race 4, The Damien OIiver (Group 2)- Steparty
- Race 9, Furphy Sprint (Group 3)- Cigar Flick
Race 2, The Vanity (Group 2, 3YO Fillies)- Benagil
The three-year-old fillies line up in the Vanity early on at Flemington and it was a win by the Godolphin galloper Zeitung. I didnt mind the performance of the 5th placegetter, Benagil. She was lining up for her third run this time in and was slow to begin before settling back. She was a bit wayward early on in the straight before picking herself up to produce the fastest last 200m. The Mike Moroney & Glen Thompson galloper is one that looks like she improve with experience and is a live chance in the Thousand Guineas (1600m)at Caulfield in a couple of weeks.
Race 4, The Damien OIiver (Group 2)- Steparty
I didnt mind the run of Steparty in the Group 2 Damien Oliver. The four-year-old seems to be getting somewhere near the form that saw him place 3rd in the Caulfield Guineas (1600m) as a three-year-old and placed 3rd behind a couple of high-quality gallopers in Another Wil and Jimmystar. He found himself on the speed and into the wind on a day that played into the hands of those that were a little further back in the field. The Paul Preusker-trained galloper went for home early in the straight and was a bit of a sitting duck but stuck on well to land two lengths away. He can end the drought that stretches back to last year’s Caulfield Guineas Prelude (1400m).
Race 9, Furphy Sprint (Group 3)- Cigar Flick
It was a dominant win by Isthmus in the final race of the day with the Freedman galloper benefitting from a moderate tempo up front, kicking clear to win by nearly three lenghts. Cigar Flick was a bit of an eye-catcher further back in the field, flashing home from well back to place 4th. The Chris Waller-trained four-year-old was lining up for her first run since the winter and produced the second fastest last 200m of the entire meeting, just behind what Another Wil produced earlier. She matured at the back end of her last preparation when winning two of her last three and looks to have come back in good order.
