Smart Sydney sprinter Deep Field maintains his unbeaten record with a commanding win in the Group 2 $300,000 tab.com.au Stakes (1200m) at Flemington today.

Deep Field, red and white, maintains his unbeaten record with a win in the tab.com.au Stakes at Flemington. Photo by Sarah Ebbett.

The Team Hawkes trained Deep Field was making his Melbourne debut after winning four from four in the Sydney area with wins at Gosford, twice at Canterbury and a win in the Listed $100,000 City Tattersall’s Club Lightning Handicap (1100m) at Randwick on October 18.

Today was the Northern Meteor stallionsl’s toughest test to date and he came through with flying colours by downing the Gai Waterhouse Group 1 winner Driefontein and the well performed In Cahoots.

Co-trainer Wayne Hawkes describes the lightly raced four year as a baby and is not too keen to push him too far this Spring Carnival.

“You never make a decision on race day,” Hawkes said.

“He’s a baby this horse, he hasn’t had a spell. He only had a freshen up from his couple of runs in Sydney. These are not hacks. These are pretty fair horses.”

“This bloke to do what he has done, he is only a baby.”

Winning  jockey Dwayne Dunn had Deep Filed quickly out of the barriers and headed to the outside fence where he set the pace in the early and middle stages.

Dunn sat at long as he could on Deep Field when the challengers started to arrive with Driefontein and In Cahoots looking serious contenders at the 250m.

But Dunn was only toying with them and when he let the speedster go, Deep Field ($1.60 favourite) went on to score a one length win over Driefontein ($21) with In Cahoots ($9.50) in third spot another one and a half lengths back.

In Cahoots had to pass a veterinary examination before the start after he tossed Damien Oliver out the back and Eclair Big Bang ($20) was declared a late scratching after playing up in the barriers in the same incident.

And Bel Sprinter ($15) blew his chances when he missed the start by several lengths and was never in the race.