Boban win seals great carnival for Waller

Saturday 9 November 2013, 4:13pm

Boban has emerged as a new star of Australian racing with his Emirates Stakes victory, capping a memorable spring carnival for champion trainer Chris Waller and the Schofield family.

The Waller-trained Boban wrapped up a perfect campaign by landing his second Group One win in the Emirates Stakes on Saturday.

In doing so he became the first Epsom Handicap winner in 27 years to claim the Group One mile at Flemington in the same season.

In the process, Boban provided Sydney's premier trainer with his third Group One of the four-day Flemington carnival and gave Glyn Schofield a triumph to go with that of his son Chad's Cox Plate victory on Shamus Award.

Boban ($4.60 fav) carted 57kg in the 1600m feature, four kilos more than he carried in the Epsom two starts earlier.

But aided by a cool Schofield ride the favourite came from a midfield position in the straight to defeat Smokin' Joey ($21) by a half neck with another short head to Speediness ($9).

"I think I said earlier in the week that Chad won the best race in the country and I was riding the best horse. And I think he's proven that today," Schofield said.

Schofield praised the job Waller has done with Boban, who started his campaign with a victory in a benchmark race in Sydney before winning his next four starts, two of them Group Ones.

"Chris Waller and his team have turned this horse around from a tearaway and a rogue to what we've seen today and through the carnival," Schofield said.

"I'm just the lucky guy to get on his back."

Boban became the sixth winner for Waller during Melbourne Cup week which included Group Ones last Saturday to Zoustar and Red Tracer.

Waller will set Boban a weight-for-age program in the autumn which is likely to include the Queen Elizabeth Stakes over 2000m, with a view to being back in Melbourne next year for the Cox Plate.

"I thought he was the winner at the 100 metre mark but he had to find a lot," Waller said.

"And that showed that he fights as well as has brilliance.

"He's a pretty exciting horse looking towards the autumn and beyond."

Smokin' Joey went close to giving young trainer Wez Hunter a breakthrough Group One but in a brave performance he just failed after racing wide.

Speediness sprinted through on the inside and looked the likely winner at one point, only to be narrowly denied in a frustrating result for trainer Colin Scott.

"I'm sure his time will come," Scott said.

– AAP

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