Rubitano, already a Group One winner in this year’s Newmarket Handicap at Flemington, returned the track with a strong win over the filly Ruby Slipper, while Prince Rubiton, who was also first up, chased hard in third place.

While Rubitano is heading to the $100,750 Bletchingly Stakes at Group Three level at Caulfield on August 3, his lesser performed (to date) stablemate is set to race next at Flemington.

"I’m trying to keep them (Rubitano and Prince Rubiton) apart," Mayfield-Smith said.

"Rubitano will head straight to the Bletchingly, while Prince Rubiton will go to Flemington in three weeks time."

The race picked out for Prince Rubiton is the $75,000 Aurie’s Star Handicap over 1200 metres at Flemington on August 11, some eight days after the Bletchingly.

Mayfield-Smith and the owners of Prince Rubiton will be hoping for better conditions at Flemington than what he confronted at Caulfield on Saturday.

"He was really travelling well out there (in the Monash)," Mayfield-Smith added. "Before the turn he was tracking the winner and then he just found things very slippery and things got awkward for him."

Prince Rubiton is likely to be kept to the sprinting races over the carnival and Mayfield-Smith will no doubt be hoping to win back to back Salinger Handicaps with the galloper.

The stable won last year’s Salinger when Sudurka led throughout for a shock win.

While Prince Rubiton will be kept to the shorter trips, Rubitano is likely to be stretched out to a middle distance range.

"I’d like to get him out to a mile (1600m)," Mayfield-Smith said after the Monash win. "Brett Prebble was confident he could get there easily enough."

Mayfield-Smith has his eyes set upon the Cox Plate and a likely clash with Northerly and Sunline in October.

PICS - Quentin Lang.

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