Tarzino on front foot for Makybe Diva Stakes

Tarzino has not put a foot wrong in the lead-up to the Makybe Diva Stakes despite a raceday vet’s report he was lame after his last start.

Trainer Mick Price remains puzzled by the vet’s assessment the four-year-old was lame in his off hind leg after the Memsie Stakes.

The dual Group One winner finished eighth in his first-up run in the Memsie at Caulfield on August 27.

Price said Tarzino appeared fine in the hours after the race and he had no concerns when he inspected the four-year-old the following morning.

He said Tarzino had continued his preparation for Saturday’s G1 Makybe Diva Stakes without any hint of a problem.

“We couldn’t find anything,” Price said.

“You can have two vets look at the same horse and not necessarily have the same opinion and especially with hind quarter lameness.

“The hind quarter is a big area and they only have to put in the odd abnormal stride and you can come up with that diagnosis, which I can understand.

“We looked at him at 5.30 and again at six o’clock that night and again at 8 o’clock the next morning and he was all fine.

“He hasn’t missed a beat since.

“I haven’t got a query on him.”

Michael Dee rode Tarzino in a 1200m-gallop at Caulfield on Saturday morning and Price said the horses would have another hit-out at Caulfield on Tuesday morning.

And Price is happy to see Tarzino back at Flemington on Saturday.

“He loves Flemington and I think you’ll see him run well,” Price said.

“So long as he’s hitting the line, like he did at Caulfield, I’ll be happy.”

Tarzino won last year’s Victoria Derby at Flemington and returned in the autumn to run a close second in the Australian Guineas at the same track when second-up from a spell.

He took the Rosehill Guineas in Sydney before his fourth to Tavago in the ATC Australian Derby.

With 54kg in the Caulfield Cup, Tarzino currently heads the betting for that race in October at $13 and shares the second line at $21 for the Melbourne Cup.