The $3.10 second pick Yes Baby Yes was the loser in the speed duel when stuck working three-wide to the home turn while jockey Jye McNeil opted out to give $3 favourite Galactic Fury a trail at the 800m.
McNeil drove Galactic Fury through an inside run to hit the lead at the 250m but Fatigues ($4.60) over-ran the leader late to score by a half-length. The Pres ran on for third, beaten a length.
Yes Baby Yes faded to finish fourth, more than three lengths from the winner.
“They actually went along at a reasonable tempo for a small field for the first six or eight hundred (metres). Rather than wait too long on him I let him keep him momentum,” Oliver said.
“He got there a little early. He never really put the race away and I felt him have a bit of a think about it towards the end.
“But it was a good job to win.”
Fatigues is not nominated for the Caulfield Guineas. Godolphin’s Melbourne representative Sean Keogh said the stable had no obvious plans for the son of Hallowed Crown.
“We’ll leave it up to James. He’s had a couple of runs now and he’s managing his prep really well,” Keogh said.
“He’ll get some confidence from today’s run and we’ll go from there.”