For a third straight year - and a historic 10th time - the Australian Cup is heading to Lindsay Park.
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Five-year-old Fifty Stars bolted home to win the $1.5 million group 1 race from Regal Power and 2019 Melbourne Cup winner Vow And Declare, taking the account of the legendary Euroa-based training team now consisting of David and Ben Hayes and Tom Dabernig into double digits.
That haul dates back to 1974 when stable founder Colin Hayes won the race with Bush Win. He won the race twice more with Dulcify (1979) and Spectrum (1983). Son Peter won it once with Istiadaad (1999), while David has now been involved in six via Better Loosen Up (1991), Niconero (2009), Spillway (2015), Harlem (2018 and 2019) and now Fifty Stars.
“It is a fantastic effort from everyone for over 50 years, so I am just thrilled,” David Hayes said.
“It is just a race which comes along at the right time. You basically have to have a high quality horse and he is that, so he fitted the bill.
“And to win a group 1 with this horse for (owner) Gerry (Ryan), I couldn't be more pleased.”
Fifty Stars settled at the back of the field for the 2000 m race, beginning a beautiful move wide around the field at the 800 m mark before unleashing as they turned for home.
It sped home late, usurping Regal Power in the final 50 m to win by half-a-length.
“We planned this race for a long time and those carrots can sometimes throw you off,” Hayes said.
“I thought the tactics were spot on for the day too. It was a bit of a worry how the track was riding.
“All credit to Johnny Allen, he sat quiet on him and produced him late.”
Fifty Stars was not the only Lindsay Park runner in the main event, with 2019 Melbourne Cup beaten favourite Constantinople running 15 lengths behind his stablemate.
The post-race stewards’ report cited “a degree of internal exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage that may have affected the horse's racing performance”, while Hayes outlined an intention to geld the horse and give it a spell.
● The stable's day began with victory in the group 3 TBV Thoroughbred Breeders Stakes for Minhaaj, a 4.5-length victory encouraging Hayes the unbeaten two-year-old would be a Golden Slipper contender.
“I think she invited herself to run in the Golden Slipper,” Hayes said.
“The favourite (Muntaseera) ran second and she smashed it and that's good Blue Diamond form.
“It's one of those years when every week the favourites are getting massacred, so it could be a year for a nice fresh one on the scene.
“We've just gone slowly with this one and she's appeared on time and I am sure she'll pull up brilliantly on this lovely track (soft 6) today.
“She's got great change-up speed. She showed today she can relax and quicken. She showed that at Bendigo as well.”
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