Debut win in testing conditions for daughter of Street Boss

The first race at Flemington on Champions Day was run in conditions good for water creatures and it was the filly with the oceanic name that reigned supreme.

Calamari Ring got her career off to the perfect start when she outground her rivals in the $400,000 Inglis Banner. 

The 1000-metre event restricted to Inglis graduates set the theme for what would be a testing day with the two-year-olds running head-first into sideways rain and it was the daughter of Street Boss who handled it best.

The Ciaron Maher-trained $5.50 equal favourite, a $140,000 Great Southern Weanling Sale purchase, ran down Maribyrnong Trial runner-up Streisand ($6.50) to score a head victory with Bohemian Rhapsody ($7) two lengths away third.

Calamari Ring's ability to handle the trying conditions on debut impressed Maher, who will now map out a feature-race plan that could lead to Victoria's only Group 1 race for two-year-olds – February's Blue Diamond Stakes – which Maher is yet to win.

"I didn't think she would be at the races this early, but she's just done the right things and kept progressing and that's what good horses do," Maher said.

"The Diamond could be on the cards with natural improvement. To do that at her first look down the straight, she's got a lot of upside.

"The Blue Diamond series has got a nice 'ring' to it. We haven't won that yet, so we would like to tick that off."

Along with the prizemoney, the Inglis Banner carried a $200,000 bonus for the first horse home that boasts a minimum 75 percent female ownership base and that went to the Tony and Calvin Mcevoy-trained Bohemian Rhapsody.

The bonus, on top of the $36,000 third prize, meant Bohemian Rhapsody, a $200,000 yearling, came out of the race with just $4000 less than Calamari Ring.