Griff’s Guineas boilover

He was the fourth seed of the stable’s four chances, but it was Griff that has provided trainers Ciaron Maher and Dave Eustace with their first Caulfield Guineas success after he prevailed in an action-packed classic.

Griff started at the odds of $31 despite being a G2 winner at his past start and his upset came with more than a touch of controversy as he ran out late in the race and interfered with the runner-up Veight and in turn, the third placegetter Steparty.

WATCH: Griff win the G1 Caulfield Guineas

But correct weight was soon called after Damian Lane told Veight’s trainers Tony and Calvin McEvoy that the winning margin of a length and three-quarters was too great for a protest to be lodged.

Eustace paid tribute to jockey Ben Melham for the win after Melham took the horse from the outside gate of 15 to be dictating terms up in front.

“The ride was just extraordinary,” Eustace said. “He had a plan and rode to it and got the result. Fantastic.”

Melham has had a mixed couple of years, but said he is still as good as ever.

“I’m still here and the opportunities are hard now,” Melham said. “It is so competitive here in Melbourne and a good group of young guys coming through.

“There’s only one winner of each race and I find the hardest part now is getting on the right mounts.

“When I do get that opportunity, I’m as good as ever.”

Melham said he was pleased when he could get to the front without using too much fuel.

“He began exceptionally well and the more I looked at the race, the more I thought initially there was no speed, and in G1 races that kind of plays on people.

“Throughout the day, things can change and when he began in the manner that he did, he rolled across and got across so easily.

“He just lobbed along in a beautiful rhythm. I started to quicken up from the 500-600 (metre mark) and he spotted something on the inside of the track and nearly threw the race away. He did a right-turn on me.

“Very good, courageous effort by the horse and a great job by the stable. They kept him up a while and kept him winning. Here he is now a Caulfield Guineas winner.”

The favourite in the race Militarize was back at the tail of the field for much of the race before hooking to the middle of the course to run on without threatening for fifth place.

His jockey Joao Moreira said: “He didn’t have that early speed that I needed to put himself into a prominent position. Considering he got that far back and hit the line into a good fifth, I would call it a really good run.”