Trainer Greg Eurell is targeting a second successive Flemington win with his gelding Obvious this Saturday, a goal that seemed unlikely just two months ago.

The son of Toronado is entered for the 1600-metre Silver Bowl Final, an event restricted to three-year-olds.

Obvious cemented his status as a leading contender for the Silver Bowl after securing a heat victory on June 20. This followed a second-place finish at Caulfield on May 30, performances that offered Eurell considerable relief given his horse’s previous form.

Obvious finished last at Sandown on April 6 and again at Mornington twelve days later. Eurell attributes his gelding’s late-season resurgence to a period of rest and rehabilitation at Monomeith Stud, utilising their water walker facilities.

“It was hard to work it out, he led into those runs in his usual manner and then he just failed to fire a shot,” Eurell commented.

“So we thought we’d give him a freshen up and send him down to Monomeith on the water walker.”

“Then we just brought him back in and we’re doing a bit with him, gave him a jumpout, the jumpout was good, so we thought, ‘oh well, we’ll go again.”

Obvious was beaten three-quarters of a length at Caulfield by Clevor Trever, who stands as a significant rival this week. A number of other horses contesting the Silver Bowl were also unsuccessful in their most recent outings.

While Obvious carried 52.5kg to victory at Flemington thanks to Luke Cartwright’s allowance, he now shoulders 57.5kg in this week’s non-claiming race, with Eurell opting to retain the winning jockey.

“He gets a bit of a penalty weight-wise after the win, but I think he’s in great shape and the beauty of him is he can handle any surface.”

Obvious has drawn barrier seven in the thirteen-horse Silver Bowl Final and is currently sharing the second line of betting with Lucky Lucky Boom, with Clevor Trever the favourite.

For those interested in the action, investigating the betting markets for the main race could be a worthwhile endeavour.

Explore the latest betting markets for the race at betting sites.