The Robert Smerdon-trained three-year-old Eclair Mystic emerged as a Standish Handicap and autumn prospect when he resumed to beat a smart open class field at Flemington on Saturday.The Stratum gelding was regarded as one of the principal chances in the Red Tempo Hcp (1000m) and was sent out fourth pick at $5.50 behind Group One-winning three-year-old Toorak Toff who was the $3.80 favourite.However with a six kilogram pull in the weights over Toorak Toff, Eclair Mystic was able to power home to

The Robert Smerdon-trained three-year-old Eclair Mystic emerged as a Standish Handicap and autumn prospect when he resumed to beat a smart open class field at Flemington on Saturday.

The Stratum gelding was regarded as one of the principal chances in the Red Tempo Hcp (1000m) and was sent out fourth pick at $5.50 behind Group One-winning three-year-old Toorak Toff who was the $3.80 favourite.

However with a six kilogram pull in the weights over Toorak Toff, Eclair Mystic was able to power home to score by a half-length from Broken ($4.80) with Secret Flyer ($5) a long head away third.

Toorak Toff ran on well under 59kg to finish fifth, two lengths back from the close-up fourth placegetter Johnny Fiasco, and trainer Rick Hore-Lacy said he was far from disappointed.

"He's not a five furlong (1000m) horse. He never will be," Hore-Lacy said.

"It's not as though we didn't tell everybody and no-one should be going crook.

"I don't know why he started favourite.

"Maybe because of his name or because of his good looks people like to back him but I went blue in the face telling everybody I didn't think he could win.

"It was just a pipe-opener for his campaign."

Toorak Toff now faces a rematch with Eclair Mystic in the Group Three Standish Handicap (1200m) at Flemington on New Year's Day, a race Hore-Lacy is a lot keener on for the Show A Heart colt.

The Group One Golden Rose (1400m) winner at Rosehill in late August will then go to Queensland to tackle the $1 million Magic Millions Guineas (1400m) at the Gold Coast on January 15 and Hore-Lacy said he would get him there about a week before the race.

The win gave jockey Chris Symons a double in successive races having scored on the Mike Moroney-trained Butwaittheresmore ($10) in the Cleanevent Hcp (2500m).

Eclair Mystic made it five straight wins from just six starts but on this occasion he came from behind instead of leading as he had done in all of his previous wins.

"It was a big test for him today and he pulled out a big run. We might have learnt something about him," Smerdon said.

"We thought he'd be just behind the leaders. I had to give Chris some discretion as to how to ride him as there were going to be a whole lot of horses in a similar spot we felt.

"He sat off them whereas he had been pushing forward in his previous prep, so maybe there is another dimension to him."

After the Standish, Smerdon said Eclair Mystic would have a crack at the Listed Zeditave Stakes (1200m), a set weights plus penalties event for three-year-olds at Caulfield on January 26.