Trainer Chris Waller's attention to detail helped him plot a first-up win for Boban in the A$750,000 Group 1 Doomben 10,000 on Saturday.
Boban ($17) took his prize money past $2 million and gave Waller his 12th Group 1 win for the season when he came from third last at the 600m. He beat Charlie Boy ($18) by a short neck with a nose to Generalife ($7.50) in third place.
Boban struggled for his best form during the Sydney autumn and after he ran second last in the Chipping Norton Stakes in February, Waller sent him for a spell.
Sydney's premier trainer, Waller made a close study of Boban's racing patterns and noticed he went well fresh and also seemed to get on well with jockey Glyn Schofield.
"We probably had been wasting his first-up runs in other campaigns because we tried him at 1200," Waller said. "But I thought if we got him out to 1350m first-up he would be very well suited."