The Peter Moody-trained Dissident made it back-to-back Group One wins when he fought off Fawkner to win the Makybe Diva Stakes at Flemington on Saturday.
In a close finish to the weight-for-age race, Dissident, the $2.70 favourite, added the mile feature to his Memsie Stakes win at Caulfield two weeks ago.
Dissident, Ben Melham
“Fawkner headed him. He had to dig deep … and he really deserved to win,” jockey Ben Melham said.
Dissident was one of the first horses into stride and Melham had him sitting outside the leader Messene before the tempo increased in the middle stages.
They cleared out by six lengths at one point before the chasers closed the gap.
Messene was the first to crack, leaving Dissident to take control at the 400m before the Caulfield Cup winner Fawkner ($10) launched his bid.
Fawkner seemed well on his way to a first-up win but Dissident rallied from the 100m to worry is rival out of the race.
Puissance De Lune ($7) followed his runner-up placing in 2013 with a third on Saturday while Spillway turned in an eye-catcher coming from last.
