Vega’s shot at Everest

DAVID Hayes expects a deal to be done very soon to give Vega Magic his chance at redemption in The Everest, claiming he has been confident of securing a slot all along, despite the diminishing number of spots remaining in the field.

Vega Magic is into $10 for The Everest after his Bletchingly Stakes romp on Saturday.

“I wasn’t (worried). Wally Daly (owner) was a little bit,” Hayes said. “I knew the horse was flying. I knew the moment he ran well with his imposing record, he (would) be one of the favourites.

“It’s a $600,000 pay up. Not $20,000. When you go to pay up for a 66-1 shot and there’s a potential favourite there, I know what I will be doing. I’d be switching camps.

“I thought someone might do that if I had the horse in the right form close to the race. It’s not what happened a year ago, it’s what’s happening now.

Hayes said he was surprised at the number of slot holders who had locked in runners so early.

“If I had a slot and I was doing it, I wouldn’t want to do it until a month out,” he said.

“Most trainers will tell you, a lot can happen with a horse in a month.”

Hayes said he would follow a similar template to the one he used last year, by running second up in the Memsie Stakes and then freshening the horse back to 1200m.