The Lindsay Park team of Ben, Will and J D Hayes is certainly not complaining about the transfer of the Golden Eagle to Randwick on Saturday.
The $10 million Golden Eagle (1500m) has been staged at Rosehill since its inaugural running in 2019 but has been transferred to Randwick for this year’s edition.
The Hayes brothers saddle Evaporate who will be out to avenge his narrow defeat in the Group 1 Toorak Handicap (1600m) at Caulfield on October 18.
Like Chris Waller, Ben Hayes said a tough 1600m race under the belt should hold Evaporate in good stead when he drops back 100m in journey on Saturday.
While Evaporate’s three runs this campaign have all been in Melbourne, the four-year-old has been aimed at the Golden Eagle since commencing his campaign with an unlucky fifth in the P B Lawrence Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield in August.
A foot niggle kept Evaporate from the track until winning the Sandown Stakes (1500m) on September 27 before running a close second to Transatlantic in the Toorak.
“He ran enormous in the Toorak,” Hayes said.
“We just got beaten by Transatlantic who franked the form by coming out and winning in Sydney last week.
“On the day, Transatlantic got an easy lead, and we were the only horse that came out of the pack to challenge him.
“We slightly peaked on our run, but I think now that we’ve had those last couple of runs under the belt, he’s definitely good enough to win a race like the Golden Eagle.”
Hayes said he the switch of venue from Rosehill to Randwick is advantageous for Evaporate.
He said the roomier circuit was a plus after Evaporate registered placings at Ellerslie in New Zealand and at Randwick earlier in the year.
“He won the Carbine Club up in Sydney earlier this year, so moving the race there, where he’s run well before, might be an advantage for us,” Hayes said.
“Being on his Sydney leg might be a good thing for him. He relaxes better on that Sydney leg.”
