Timeform recap the 2016 Aurie's Star Handicap won by Sooboog for trainer Darren Weir and jockey Michael Dee.
Last week we had Lord Of The Sky winning the feature in Melbourne on something of a redemption mission and this week the feature, the Aurie's Star Handicap, went the way of Sooboog - another who has provoked the ire of punters in recent times.
Like Lord Of The Sky, Sooboog has always been a good talent but has struggled to really convert. He started odds-on to win the Breeders Plate on his debut and, despite being beaten by subsequent Golden Slipper winner Vancouver, managed to post a Timeform Rating of 106 - a way above average debut any way you look at it.
The best part of two years on and Sooboog went into the Aurie's Star rated 106, a peak rating that he has run to twice since that debut but failed to improve on in 13 runs in that timeframe - until Saturday.
On Saturday Sooboog posted a new peak rating of 110, a number that sits right in line with recent historical standards for the Aurie's Star, matching 2015 winner Shiraz to the pound and sitting just behind good recent winners Tiger Tees and Temple Of Boom who both ran to 113.
Temple Of Boom's 2011 win was the last Aurie's Star to prove a particularly strong form reference for subsequent spring features with Temple Of Boom himself going on to win the Gilgai and runner up Rekindled Interest winning the Feehan,
Green Moon also came out of the race to win a Newcastle Cup and finish second in the Caulfield Cup.
The 2016 Aurie's Star looks up to scratch without appearing a spring shaper. The Racing and Sports field strength figure was 111. Solid but unspectacular for a Group 3 handicap - a description that could also be used for the overall time.
That said, Sooboog won well and now that he has that win it feels easier to forgive past sins. Good ground, blinkers on, and an even/steady early tempo seem to be the recipe for Sooboog success and with similar conditions it would be fairly easy to envisage him improving again.
The second and third horses, both from the Hayes,Hayes and Dabernig triumvirate, also look like improving in the right circumstance.
Runner up Dibayani won the race on Timeform ratings, returning a figure of 115, in line with much of his good form to this point.
His closing sectionals were worth a slight mark up and he should be better getting to 1400/1600m in the coming weeks - we'd confidently declare him a coming winner were he 1160 days and 15 runs without a win now.
Tashbeeh ran a very similar race, albeit with 5kgs less. He ran to 103 and his current master rating of 105 is looking temporary on the strength of his first up performance.
He might not quite have the motor to match his stablemate Dibayani but he does have a good winning habit and versatility, having produced smart form from 1200m to 2000m. He should have options aplenty in the coming weeks.
