Class has won out in the Rubiton Stakes as exciting sprinter Chautauqua charged home to start his autumn campaign on a winning note.

Sent out odds-on in the Group Two sprint at Caulield on Saturday, Chautauqua settled in the second half of the field and Dwayne Dunn was forced to ride a patient race before the sprinter to chased down Flamberge.

Flamberge ($17) kicked strongly but Chautauqua, the $1.85 favourite, unleashed a turn of foot which has him rated among the top sprinters in training to arrive in time to score by a short neck.

They put three lengths on third-placed Atmospherical ($5) and the victory showed Chautauqua will be a force in any of the major sprints.

The Group One Newmarket Handicap is one of his autumn targets.

Chautauqua claimed the Bobbie Lewis Quality and Gilgai Stakes in the spring before splitting Terravista and Lankan Rupee in the Darley Classic.

"You've got to give credit to the horse. He's a proper horse, but Dwayne gave him a 15 out of 10 ride," co-trainer Wayne Hawkes said.

"He was always going to be in a bugger of a spot and that's where he was but Dwayne didn't panic. He just sat, waited and got him balanced.

"He probably waited a bit too long but he never got him off stride and that's why he hit the line like he did."

Dunn said Chautauqua showed he was on target for a luractive autumn.

"He's got a few races ahead of him to really peak at and today probably wasn't the race you wanted him at his best, but we still wanted him to win," Dunn said.