Hayes rolls out the big guns for spring
WITH the official start of spring fast approaching, some of Lindsay Park’s big guns will step out to begin their seasons at Caulfield today.
Three of the stable’s five Group One winners from last season will resume in separate stakes races today.
The Goodwood winner Vega Magic returns in the Listed Regal Roller Stakes (1200m) while Blue Diamond Stakes winner Catchy resumes in the Group Three Quezette Stakes (1100m) unless the track is too wet, in which case the stable would instead look to run Golden Slipper placegetter Tulip.
Toorak Handicap winner He’s Our Rokkii contests the day’s feature, the Group Two P.B. Lawrence Stakes (1400m).
Caulfield track manager Jason Kerr said he expected the track to be a soft 5 at worst, which senior trainer David Hayes said had Catchy favoured to take her place.
“Catchy will run if the track is not too bad,” Hayes said.
“And if the track is wet, Tulip will run. But I’d expect either of them to run well, whichever one I run.”
Catchy is the $2.50 favourite, with the stable also having talented filly Ploverset in the same race.
He’s Our Rokkii won six of his nine starts last year, rising through the grades to become a Group One handicap winner.
He was then winless in four autumn starts, which included three Group One wfa races, but Hayes believes he has come back well.
“He just didn’t seem to come up last preparation but he had been in form for 12 months,” he said.
“He has benefited from a good spell. I reckon he has trialled well and his work has been good, so I’m hoping for a competitive run.”
Former WA galloper Vega Magic won the Goodwood in May in his first start for the stable and Hayes expects a strong return ahead of the $1 million Memsie Stakes (1400m) two weeks later.
“He’s terrific, and the race will bring him on for the Memsie,” Hayes said. “It will take a good sprinter to beat him.
“He just gives the impression, by his form, that he’s a top-level sprinter.”