Hayes-trained three-year-old primed for rich New Zealand race.
The Lindsay Park training team would be excused for feeling rueful about missing the $1 million Australian Guineas with Evaporate, but Ben Hayes remains comfortable with the program he and his brothers mapped out for the gelding.
The son of Per Incanto will chase an even bigger payday in Saturday's inaugural The Kiwi, a New Zealand slot race carrying NZ$3.5 million in prizemoney, at Ellerslie.
Evaporate finished immediately behind Feroce in the Caulfield Guineas, and that gelding won the Australian Guineas last Saturday, and while Hayes was confident Evaporate would have run well in the Guineas, the three-year-old-restricted The Kiwi too good to pass up.
"When you see Feroce come out and win, they weren't very far away from each other in spring, you wonder but I'm not too worried," Hayes said.
"He's a gelding and he's running for $3.5 million.
"It's a great opportunity and it looks a race that he'll be very hard to beat him.
Evaporate is $2.30 favourite for The Kiwi, which will be the third start of the campaign, following a Group 2 Autumn Stakes (1400m) third placing and Group 1 Futurity Stakes fourth (1400m), and he got a feel for the Ellerslie track on Monday morning.
"He galloped Monday morning at Ellerslie and went fantastic," Hayes said of the Little Avondale Stud-raised galloper, who will be ridden by Michael Dee.
"We had one of our best track riders on him and he said he gave him a great feel.
"He's ready to go and he should run well."
Hayes and his co-trainer brothers Will and JD are chasing a second big New Zealand win in less than a month after Here To Shock's Group 1 BCD Sprint (1400m) win on February 8.
That gelding is back in Australia and will chase more Group 1 success in Saturday's Canterbury Stakes at Randwick, in which he be ridden by Nash Rawiller from barrier two.
"He really thrives off that month between runs with a nice trial into a race and this was the perfect spacing," Hayes said.
"I think 1300 is a really nice trip for him, because he's got that natural high cruising speed.
"It's looking like a strong race now, but he's a genuine top three, top four chance."
