Boban has continued his meteoric rise through the grades with a final stride success in the Group 1 Epsom Handicap (1600m) at Randwick last Saturday.
The Chris Waller-trained gelding contested the Group 1 Epsom Handicap as one of the favourites having claimed his first two runs this campaign by a combined margin of 5.5 lengths.
His Group 3 Bill Ritchie Handicap (1400m) success was emphatic but Boban would need to reach a new level for the Epsom Handicap.
Boban from an awkward draw settled 14th as fellow four-year-old Ecuador set the tempo.
Already with quite a task ahead of him, a nasty check at the 600m did the Bernardini gelding no favours.
Even peeling widest around the home turn, Boban showed he was still up for the fight and once straightened up went about bridging the gap to the early leaders.
An enthralling finish appeared set to unfold with a furlong remaining as Streama, Toydini and Boban all emerged from the pack.
After lengthy deliberation, Boban was declared the winner over Streama with Toydini filling third.
Boban’s Epsom success yielded the four-year-old a new master Timeform figure of 123, five pounds superior to his winning Bill Ritchie display a fortnight earlier.
The 2013 Epsom Handicap renewal came in well above the prior five year winning average with Boban’s performance the highest rated since Racing To Win in 2006.
Runner up Streama and third placegetter Toydini each improved on the figures they ran to when claiming the George Main Stakes and Cameron Handicap at their respective last starts.
Sitting well outside of the handicap on the 52.5kg limit weight, the Gai Waterhouse trained pair of Spurtonic (4th) and Ecuador (6th) each ran to new master Timeform ratings.
Spurtonic improved on his master Timeform rating by 16 pounds while Ecuador improved on a last start figure of 103 by 14 pounds.
Last Saturday’s Epsom Handicap continued the dominance of four-year-olds in the event with 16 having claimed the event since 1991.
Boban is the third Epsom winner since 1991 to come out of the Bill Ritchie and more importantly, the first ever to claim the Bill Ritchie Handicap - Epsom Handicap double.
The George Main Stakes is generally considered the key lead up race into the Epsom Handicap and rightly so considering ten subsequent winners of the feature mile event have come out of the George Main Stakes since 1991.
While connections were unsure of what lied in store for Boban prior to the Epsom Handicap, the Emirates Stakes on the final day of the Flemington carnival is now on the agenda.
Stablemates Sacred Falls and Riva De Lago are also likely to join Boban in the Emirates Stakes following the Epsom.
Two horses have come out of the Epsom Handicap and subsequently won the Emirates Stakes.
All Silent after running fourth in the 2008 Epsom Handicap was the last to accomplish the feat with Bezeal Bay also coming out of the Epsom and on his way to Emirates Stakes success.
The last horse to record the Epsom Handicap – Emirates Stakes double was Chanteclair in 1986.
In the past ten years, five Epsom winners have gone on to contest the Emirates Stakes.
Admittedly, their results don’t make for good reading.
2011 Epsom winner Secret Admirer was the best performed of the handful when she ran third in the Emirates Stakes behind Albert The Fat.
The remaining four were safely held and included Fat Al (2012, 12th), Captain Sonador (2010, 13th), Desert War (2005, 11th) and Clangalang (2003, 7th).
While he showed plenty of promise as a younger horse for Anthony Freedman, Boban has gone from strength to strength under the care of Chris Waller.
Boban was ultra consistent during his first prep with the leading Rosehill trainer where he recorded consecutive minor placings at stakes level plus a Warwick Farm success.
Waller cites added maturity and confidence as the reason for Boban’s sharp improvement this campaign and who can disagree with that?
The leading Rosehill trainer has a reputation as one of the most respected horsemen in Australia and with the promising Boban under his care, can perhaps end a 27 year Emirates drought for Epsom winners at Flemington on November 9.
