The Aurie’s Star Handicap headlines another strong nine-race program at Flemington on Saturday.
Fields Of Omagh, Temple Of Boom, Tiger Tees and Hey Doc are but a few of the names listed on the Aurie’s Star winner’s list, and with another exciting crop of sprinters engaged this year, it shapes as a terrific form race.
I’ve run the rule over that contest and the eight remaining to provide all of my Flemington best bets below!
Our Chief takes winning form into the first on Aurie’s Star Handicap Day.
The Tagaloa gelding debuted with a nice performance to finish second behind the impressive Signature Scent at Bendigo before breaking his maiden impressively last time out.
Fitter third-up, he can continue his rise through the grades this week.
Bold Soul is fit and looms as a key winning chance once more.
The Embellish gelding won over this route three runs back, while he’s since finishing a close-up second in the Banjo Patterson Series Final most notably.
We know that he’ll relish the conditions and with only 54.5kgs in tow, he need only hold his form to fight out the finish once more.
De Bergerac has returned to the races in fine form.
After striking in BM64 company at Sale in his first run back in June, the Zoustar gelding was well beaten by La Fracas but still managed to fill the minors stepping up in grade at Sandown.
He enjoyed further improvement into a near miss behind the same horse here at Flemington last time out, and with the benefit of that run under his belt now as well, he’s primed to win.
Documentary needed his first run back from a spell to tune up but is open to big improvement at HQ this week.
The Nick Ryan-trained gelding won two of three starts during his debut preparation, while he was just over a length behind the winner over 1000m here a fortnight ago.
Proven down the straight, stripping fitter and getting slightly further out in trip, he gets plenty of ticks under Jamie Melham – who also features in our Flemington Deep Dive as one of the jockeys to watch at HQ this coming spring carnival!
Aztec State can bounce back at HQ.
The Lindsay Park galloper spent nearly a year away from the races after winning over this route in June 2024 but picked up where he left off with a dominant three-length triumph at the midweeks.
His second up performance, while still resulting in a credible fifth placing in BM84 company at Caulfield was pretty a little weaker than expected, and with further improvement this week and getting out to 2000m, he looks well suited.
Jackson Radley’s claim is also beneficial to his chances under topweight.
This looms as one of the stronger contests on the program and there’s a case to be made for a few of them, including Fortunate Kiss.
Fortunate Kiss improved with each of his first few runs back from a break and filled the minors of the Eye Liner Stakes at Ipswich before recording an eye-catching black type victory in the Glasshouse Handicap at the Sunshine Coast.
Most recently, he was shuffled back in the run of the Winter Challenge at Rosehill Gardens and closed well to finish two lengths behind Robusto.
There’s no doubting his fitness this week, he’s certainly up to the class of this race and should relish racing on the big Flemington track.
The Aurie’s Star Handicap almost always figures as a key form race for early spring Group 1 targets and a classy field as been taken again this year.
Splash Back is yet to taste anything but success this time in and looks well placed for a deserved bit of black type on Saturday.
The Le Havre mare was dominant in BM78 company at Caulfield fresh in May and franked that performance with another handy victory over 1420m here last time out.
She’s been freshened since that race, sent back to the trials and gets into this well under the conditions.
One Long Day is second up and rates as a key winning chance on Aurie’s Star Handicap Day.
The Epaulette gelding doesn’t know how to run a bad race, winning four of nine career starts so far, including his one go at Flemington previously, while he has finished the runner up as many times.
He was good through the line at Sandown when resuming and I like that he has been back to the trials since that race in early July.
I’m going to give Terrestar one last chance at Flemington on Saturday.
Having returned to action to finish second in consecutive races at Eagle Farm and here at Flemington, Terrestar finished down the order in the Leilani Final here last time out.
She’s a month between starts but does race well on fresh legs, while the booking of Ben Melham further enhances her chances in something like this, in my opinion.