Cameron Happ's horses to follow and forget from Saturday's Flemington meeting

Tricky day for black bookers with so many having reached their grand finals, but I've found a range of horses we can stick with from maiden grade right through to Group 1 races.

The track as expected was firm with an upgrade to a good (3) after race six. This naturally favours horses in the front half of the field and punters adjusted well to the pattern. We can be forgiving of anything right out the back as they were up against it.

We may have only had the three outright favourites salute on the day, but overall it felt a good day for punters with Sirileo Miss the only horse in double figures and Sparkle the second roughest winner at $7. Despite the open races on paper, it would have been hard not to hit on the Flemington quaddie if you played.

BLACK BOOKERS

MOYA LASS. This filly from the Julius Sandhu stable won't be a maiden for long and she showed enough yesterday to see why the stable took a swing at some black type at Flemington. She hit the line hard first-up at Pakenham and she didn't have a lot of luck in the Group 2 Kewney Stakes when having nowhere to go back to last on the point of the home turn. Slightly hampered at the 300m, she's run very similar splits to the winner Revolutionary Miss, including a meeting best last 200m split. Open to a huge drop in grade, she'll take care of the maiden soon.

APULIA. Not sure if they will press on any longer in his first preparation, but I want this colt in my blackbook for the longer three-year-old races. He's still a maiden, but has hit the line hard in all three career starts and taking a massive rise in class yesterday, he showed he's going to be up to much better races. Hampered back near last by the fall at the 1000m and hampered again by the winner Veight at the 300m, the son of Melbourne Cup winner Fiorente couldn't accelerate like the winner but did hit the line like a promising stayer.

YAPHET. I don't think it's going to happen, but if the stable lower their sights this son of Blackfriars has his hoof right on the till. He didn't have a lot of luck in the Group 2 Peter Young second-up and staying in the same grade at Flemington, the Cliff Brown gelding looked to be travelling two lengths off the pace when the gap closed at the 350m losing all his momentum. Balancing up, he's hit the line in similar splits to everything outside of the airborne winner to be ready to peak next start. Only a BM84 horse, he's got options to just win, but I feel they'll go to the Australian Cup where he's a good roughie.

MAZU. I loved the run of this high class sprinter from the Peter and Paul Snowden stable and he looks to be right on track for the Group 1 TJ Smith Stakes in Sydney. This was his first trip to Victoria, so his first trip up the daunting Flemington straight and he was left exposed out widest on the track for the entire trip. Giving away weight to most runners, he couldn't quicken as they sprinted, but was holding his own over the last 200m on what was now a firm good (3) surface. One of the best swimmers in the country, if Sydney strikes its usual wet Autumn, he'll take beating at weight-for-age.

Mazu is right on target for his autumn missions. Picture: Scott Barbour – Racing Photos

LIFE LESSONS. The lightly raced Peter Moody-trained mare was set to resume last week over 1200m when a late scratching with an issue and she was too fresh over racing through the first half of the race were she was exposed three deep midfield. Despite this, she still travelled into the race ok all the way to the 300m and never stopped fighting to the line despite lacking race fitness. She'll take a stack of improvement for the run and can race much closer from a good gate to have options in her next few starts.

IS IT ME. The lightly raced Daniel Bowman trained gelding may have lost his unbeaten record yesterday, but only through bad luck. Drawing the inside gate, the staying bred son of Iffraaj was getting a dream run midfield before having nowhere to go in the straight all the way to the 200m. Balancing up, he's built through his gears to get within half a length to be a certainty beaten. Bred to get 2000m and beyond, he's going to rack up wins on his way to black type races.

JENNY JEROME. I like the way the Patrick Payne stable is training this filly more as a sprinter miler than forcing her out to long trips and she was completely luckless at Flemington. Harry Coffey was giving her a perfect run midfield outside of the favourite, but it all went pear shaped from the 400m where she was travelling under a tight hold but never saw daylight the entire straight. Untested, she could easily back-up quickly and be ready to find her best.

FORGIVE RUNNERS

SHOCK `EM OVA. While disappointing at the $1.75, this lightly raced stayer just wasn't suited by the sit and sprint and is clearly looking for longer races..

SHUFFLE DANCER. She may have had enough for this prep and had no chance after blowing the start in a soft run race at Flemington. She'll bounce hard next prep.

EXCELIDA. Three deep exposed the entire trip. She did well to keep fighting on as the mile is her absolute maximum trip.

FORGET RUNNERS

SUREFIRE. The imported gelding is simply going horrible this time in. It's going to take some Chris Waller magic to get him back on track.

INDEPENDENT ROAD. Keeps racing in solid form and was a black booker earlier in the prep, but he just needs too much in his favour with no turn of foot.

AYRTON. He was ok first-up yesterday but isn't really a betting proposition as he's always under the odds and a hard horse to place.