Joe Pride’s lofty opinion of Terravista has again been substantiated with the gelding accounting for a strong Darley Classic field last Saturday.

Pride has said a number of times the Captain Rio gelding is the best galloper he has ever trained, words which must be respected from a ten time Group 1 winning trainer.

Terravista lined up in the Darley Classic off a fifth in the Manikato Stakes behind Lankan Rupee where despite having little luck, was only beaten a long neck.

Despite the chestnut’s star qualities, it was the likes of Chautauqua and Lankan Rupee who stole the spotlight heading into the Group 1 Darley Classic (1200m).

The feature sprint down Flemington’s Straight Six read like a who’s who of Australia’s sprinting ranks with six Group 1 winners along with multiple Group 1 winning UK sprinter Slade Power.

Terravista and Chautauqua were the up and comers of the field and last Saturday’s Darley Classic was a competitive, hotly contested affair.

Hugh Bowman was re-united with the gelding having missed the Manikato Stakes due to suspension and The Shorts because of other commitments.

The two make for a formidable pairing and both jockey and horse showed why they are each considered one of the best in their respective fields during last Saturday’s Darley Classic.

From a middle barrier, Bowman and Terravista settled back in the field with cover as the likes of Buffering and Lankan Rupee led them up.

Bowman wisely found the heels of race favourite Chautauqua in transit and as the Team Hawkes-trained galloper worked through the field, Terravista stayed right on his flank.

The jockey got the split they needed approaching the 200m and from there, Terravista was electric.

The flashy chestnut set out in pursuit of Lankan Rupee and while Mick Price’s multiple Group 1 winner was brave, he could not hold off the brilliance of Terravista who edged past him at the 50m.

Chautauqua was also closing well late and nabbed Lankan Rupee for second in the final strides.

Defending Darley Classic winner Buffering recorded a solid fourth prior to contesting next month’s Hong Kong International Sprint.

Slade Power was disappointing, unable to accelerate when the tempo quickened and was beaten 300m from home.

Terravista’s display against strong opposition returned the gelding a Timeform rating of 128.

Such a performance came in well above the prior five year winning average of the event.

Furthermore, his victory sits as the second highest rated Darley Classic win since ratings were used in Australia with just the champion Black Caviar exceeding Terravista’s winning rating when claiming the 2010 Darley Classic with an effort assessed at 129+.

Now a ten time Group 1 winning trainer, Joe Pride’s statement Terravista is the best galloper he has ever trained is justified when looking at the Timeform ratings some of his prior stable stars have yielded at their peaks.

Generally, his best performed runners prior to Terravista returned Timeform ratings around the 120 mark when claiming their career best successes in Group 1’s such as the Doncaster Mile, The Galaxy, Coolmore Classic, George Ryder Stakes, TJ Smith Stakes and Doomben 10,000 to name a few.

Terravista will now be spelled prior to an autumn campaign with the ultimate goal of the Group 1 TJ Smith Stakes.

The Darley Classic-TJ Smith Stakes double was last achieved by Black Caviar during the 2010/11 season.

In the autumn, Terravista will likely resume in the Challenge Stakes before potentially heading south for the Lightning Stakes.

Pride will then bring the Captain Rio gelding back to Sydney for both the TJ Smith Stakes and potentially the All Aged Stakes over 1400m.

While a winner up to 1400m and placed in the Festival Stakes over 1500m last Summer, Terravista has tasted defeat just once over 1200m or less, when luckless in the Manikato Stakes last start.

Whether the gelding is as explosive over 1400m as 1200m or less is debatable and considering what we’ve seen him do over the shorter sprint journey, unlikely.

Hucklebuck maintained his unbeaten record this campaign in taking out the Group 1 Emirates Stakes (1600m).

The Phillip Stokes-trained gelding was backing up after taking out the Yellowglen Stakes (1400m) on Derby Day.

While the Yellowglen Stakes provided Phillip Stokes and jockey Dom Tourneur their first successes over the Flemington Carnival, Hucklebuck’s return to Melbourne gave Stokes his first Melbourne major.

The four-year-old was aided by a good ride from Dom Tourneur who had the gelding positioned fifth on the fence behind frontrunner The Cleaner.

Tourneur moved Hucklebuck from the rail around the turn and a dream split emerged as the pair moved off Hooked’s heels approaching the 400m.

Hucklebuck collared The Cleaner at the 250m before holding off a fast finishing Lucky Hussler to claim the Group 1 Emirates Stakes.

The Cleaner was his usual brave self in keeping third over Hooked.

From a first up win in Morphettville’s Durbridge Stakes (1200m) awarded a Timeform rating of 109, Hucklebuck has improved noticeably with each run this campaign.

His first Group 1 success yielded the Elvstroem gelding a new master Timeform rating of 122, six pounds clear of a 116 figure returned in both the Yellowglen Stakes a week earlier and also the C S Hayes Stakes (1400m) at Flemington last Summer.

Stokes enjoyed a Flemington double last Saturday courtesy of Éclair Big Bang claiming the final event of the carnival, a 1400m Open Handicap.

Either side of the Group 1 features were the Group 3 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2600m) and the Group 3 Matriarch Stakes (2000m).

Le Roi recorded his best career win in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes and put himself on a Cups path for 2015 with the victory which returned a Timeform rating of 113.

Suavito made it back to back Group successes in the Matriarch Stakes with a performance assessed at 110.

It was a career best display by the daughter of Thorn Park, three pounds clear of her prior master Timeform rating.

Another notable performance from a Timeform perspective was that of Prompt Return in the Group 3 Maribyrnong Plate (1000m).

After a soft kill on debut at Bendigo, Prompt Return handled the stronger opposition with ease.

A two length win ensued which returned the Beneteau colt a Timeform rating of 109p.

This figure sits right on the five year winning average of the event and equal fourth highest amongst the best performed two-year-olds so far this season.

The Maribyrnong Plate has proven disappointing as a form line during that five year period.

The last horse to win a two-year-old Group 1 feature having come through the Maribyrnong Plate was the 2007 runner up Reaan who subsequently won the 2008 Blue Diamond Stakes.

Nadeem in season 2005/06 claimed the Maribyrnong Plate – Blue Diamond Stakes double.