David Hayes admits he has left no stone unturned in his bid to win his first Magic Millions Classic early next year, with the rich juvenile event being one of the few major races on the Australian calendar that has eluded the three-generation Hayes dynasty of horse trainers.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
In fact, so meticulous has Hayes been in his planning he's even resorted to taking his main hope Madeenaty to a nearby provincial racetrack to gallop the horse in the clockwise direction, the same way the race will be staged on the Gold Coast early in January.
Hayes, who has been a five-time runner-up in what is one of Australia's richest two-year-old races, took the race favourite Madeenaty to Benalla racecourse, north of Melbourne, to work the youngster in a clockwise direction, ensuring the speedy filly is well-schooled before race day.
"She's a lovely filly; we're very excited about her and it seems a lot of people share the same opinion as she's race favourite. We came to Benalla with the intention of galloping two horses, both for differing reasons but they needed a clockwise hit out.
"It's vital that these young horses that are just a month away from competing on the Gold Coast get that right-handed experience. And her work was as good as we could ask for," Hayes said.
Madeenaty, a Flemington winner at her first start, is well thought of by the Hayes operation and they believe she could be the filly, who cost connections $750,000 as a yearling, who could break the long drought for one of Australia's most successful racing establishments.
"She's a very smart filly and we'll now take her to Wyong, which is a very tricky track, so it's exactly what we want for this horse. The quick turns and the tightness of the circuit will be excellent experience," he said.
Hayes was referring to the Wyong Classic, to be run on December 22, and the two-year-old will leave the day after for the Gold Coast Magic Millions.
Hayes also took former overseas galloper Dibyani to Benalla and he also worked the reverse way in his quest to win this year's rich Villiers Stakes at Randwick, one of Sydney's most important summer events.
"He can't handle the Melbourne way of going. He just doesn't take to going left-handed so we keep him racing in Sydney or up the straight track at Flemington, but it's pointless putting him around the turns in Victoria.
"His work was outstanding and he's all set for the Villiers and it's also timely to remember that horse is a runner-up in an Epsom Handicap at Randwick, so he's well and truly in the race with a genuine chance," he said.
Jockey Mark Zahra will ride Madeenaty at Wyong and again on the Gold Coast while Damien Oliver will fly to Sydney to take the ride on Dibyani in the 1600-metre Villiers Stakes in late December.
