Marble Nine chases another Flemington first

The Leon and Troy Corstens and Will Larkin stable is looking at the bigger picture in their bid to claim a Stakes victory with Marble Nine. 

The four-year-old heads to The Funky Farm Sprint (1100m) at Flemington on Saturday as a precursor to the Listed Santa Ana Lane Sprint Series Final (1200m) at Flemington on July 5. 

Marble Nine heads to Saturday's contest having won a benchmark 84 grade race over 1200m at Flemington on June 7 which followed a close-up fifth in the Listed Straight Six over the straight 1200m course on May 17. 

Larkin said Marble Nine had been a model of consistency this campaign and while the drop back in distance was not ideal, it was a nice 'in between' outing for the sprinter. 

"He's going extremely well," Larkin said. 

"Ideally, we didn't want to be stepping back to the 1100 metres from the 1200 (metres), but it was a suitable race to keep his fitness up to the mark for the final. 

"He is going up in grade from an (benchmark) 84 to an open handicap, so it is a harder race, but he's in good form and I'm sure he's going to run well." 

Marble Nine has raced at Flemington on six occasions, for a win, and two placings, all on the straight course, and Larkin said the gelding appreciates racing at headquarters. 

"He's just so honest and he's got that racing style where he takes luck out of the equation and goes up on the speed and runs out a strong 1200 metres," Larkin said. 

"The 1100 metres is probably a bit on the sharp side, it is in between his range, but he is a winner at that trip at Caulfield, and he is a winner up the straight as well. 

"He's got the right racing style for straight racing. He sits up and then can build into it." 

Marble Nine drops from 58.5kg when successful at Flemington last time to 55kg on Saturday where he will be ridden by Liam Riordan.