Elvis’ last-to-first Flemington win

Looks Like Elvis turned in the run of the day at Flemington on Saturday when he overcame a bungled start before weaving through the field to score a thrilling victory in the second heat of the Winter Championship Series.

It also marked Jarrod Austin’s first win at Headquarters as a trainer, and the Warwick Farm-based horseman cheered on the seven-year-old’s come-from-nowhere run alongside his two daughters, Aleesha and Jessica.

“Coming down here to the big track is a beautiful place,” Austin said. “I’ve brought my two young daughters down with me today and it’s going to be a special night. It’s been a great day.

“We came here a bit early on to show the two girls around have a good look around the place and we’ve just loved it.

“Every time he comes down here, he performs well. I can’t wipe the smile off my face. I wasn’t overly happy there after the first 30 metres when he missed the start, to her credit she (jockey Linda Meech) rode him perfectly and he picked them off one at a time and he hit the line well.”

Looks Like Elvis had run second three times in Melbourne previously, but on Saturday he turned in a career-best performance after messing up the start and giving away ground to a host of talented rivals.

It’sourtime looked likely to win inside the 200-metre mark as he fought off a challenge from Cherry Tortoni, but he could not withstand the withering burst from Looks Like Elvis.

Meech explained that Look Like Elvis was not in the greatest of moods before being loaded into the barriers.

“He just got really agitated in the gates,” Meech said. “I got a man up late, but he just stuffed it right up.

“I thought then that we can’t win from there, but to his credit, every time I asked for a little bit, he gave me everything that he had.

“He definitely would have been a good thing beaten.

“He had to take some neat runs. I had a lapful of horse. I wouldn’t want anyone to shift because there wasn’t a lot of room.”