Ben Hayes admits he’s trepidatious about the prospect of Oak Hill running out a strong 1350m but says the gelding will be given his opportunity to do so on Saturday when he contests the Group 3 BRC Sprint at Doomben.
Hayes, who trains in partnership with brothers Will & JD at Lindsay Park, won the race en route to Stradbroke Handicap glory with War Machine, who also carries the Rupert Leigh silks with the lightning bolt, made famous by Chautauqua.
While War Machine was already a winner over 1400m, Oak Hill has largely been kept to shorter sprint trips, a Group 2 Rubiton Stakes winner over 1100m his best performance to date.
Having held his ground for a 2.2 length eighth placing in the Listed Takeover Target Stakes (1200m) at Gosford last start, the stable will give the son of Per Incanto his opportunity to stretch in trip again.
“We’re just seeing if he can go out in trip,” Hayes said.
“His run the other day was okay through the line, over 1,200 (metres), his first time on the Sydney leg.
“We just want to see if he can run a strong run 14 (hundred) just for the future, gut feel he’s probably a sprinter, but it’s a 1350 handicap, so we’re just going to have a crack.”
Hayes is hoping for a steady tempo in the BRC Sprint which has been a key lead in to the Stradbroke Handicap in recent years, which would also be an option if Oak Hill acquitted himself well on Saturday.
“He’s won his Group Two, and he’s started in the market in group ones and in those big fields he’s been unlucky,” Hayes said.
“He needs a good barrier, everything needs to go right for him in a race. When he won the Group Two, it was a six-horse field, he sat just behind the speed and his asset is his sharp turn of foot.
“In those big fields he has to use his turn of foot to get in the race and then knocks up.
“So he’s just a tricky horse and he does have that tendency to over-race a little bit, (but) he’s relaxing now, so we’ll try him out to 1350 and see how he goes and if he doesn’t perform, we’ll go to the paddock.”
The Brisbane Winter Carnival continues on Saturday with the Group 1 Doomben Cup (2000m) headlining the card.
Seven horses accepted on Tuesday with Half Yours, drawn the widest, holding narrow favouritism over Hollindale Stakes winner Pride Of Jenni who drew barrier four.
