Trainers Ben, Will & JD Hayes will have one eye on Sydney and another on Melbourne as they prepare for one of the best week’s in racing.
The Hayes camp will be chasing lucrative riches in Sydney this weekend, where Evaporate (NZ) (Per Incanto) contests the A$10 million Golden Eagle (1500m).
“His run last start when second in the Toorak (Gr.1, 1600m) was excellent when beaten by Transatlantic who has since come out and won well,” Ben Hayes said.
“The form is good and it has been done before. The Toorak winner has won the Golden Eagle (I’m Thunderstruck, 2021) and he has been trained to peak. This is his grand final so from barrier seven, hopefully he will get a nice run and be very competitive.”
Meanwhile, Group One winning stablemate War Machine (NZ) (Harry Angel) will run in the A$3 million The Russell Balding Stakes (1300m) after finishing tenth behind Ka Ying Rising (NZ) (Shamexpress) in the Gr.1 The Everest (1200m).
“We were a tad disappointed initially with his Everest run,” Hayes said.
“He just got a little bit crowded and ended up further back than we wanted, but his work through the line was very good. He ran very quick sectionals and the only horse through the line better than him was Angel Capital.
“His gallop at the farm on Monday was excellent and he will love the 1300m.”
The stable are not perturbed by the prospect of a wet Melbourne Cup week when it comes to their stable star Mr Brightside (NZ) (Bullbars).
The eight-year-old gelding could surpass A$20 million in career prizemoney should he win the Gr.1 Champions Mile (1600m) on the final day of the carnival.
The veteran has enjoyed another strong campaign, finishing second in the Gr.1 Memsie Stakes (1400m) before winning the Gr.1 Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) and finishing a brave second in the Gr.1 King Charles III (1609m).
“His run at the mile in the King Charles was excellent,” Ben Hayes said. “He has got a great record at the mile and there is actually rain forecast all week, which will work in his favour.
“He is in great order, is racing consistently and he will turn up on final day and do what he always does.
“I think he went 25 starts in a row without a wet track and he is a wet tracker.
“But he is very good on top of the ground, there is no doubt about that, but it does help him because it slows the others down.”