Last year’s Everest runner-up Vega Magic has continued to tune up for his second shot at the world’s richest race on turf with a pleasing jumpout at Albury.
Co-trainer David Hayes wanted to take Vega Magic from his Lindsay Park Euroa base in country Victoria across the border to the NSW track at Albury for a 1000m hitout on Thursday.
And he believes he got what he wanted out of the excursion to trial in the clockwise direction of Sydney racing.
“I wanted him on a New South Wales track practising on that leg and he did everything I asked of him,” Hayes said.
“He beat Keen Array by about four lengths.
“I also wanted to see how he reacted in the blinkers away from home and he was lovely and relaxed.
“I was very happy with the way he reacted and I think for sure I’ll run him in The Everest in blinkers.
“I think his win in the blinkers was one of his highest-rating wins.”
Vega Magic wore blinkers in a race for the first time when he blitzed his rivals in the Bletchingly Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield in late July.
Hayes took the blinkers off Vega Magic and reverted to winkers for his step up to 1400m in the Memsie Stakes last start when the gelding was run down late in the straight to finish fourth.
Albury is less than two hours from Lindsay Park’s Euroa training complex.
Hayes said Vega Magic liked being trained out of Euroa so he wants to keep him there until about nine days before the $13 million The Everest (1200m) at Randwick on October 13.
“I want to get him into Sydney so that on the Monday before The Everest 2018 he can have his final hitout on the course proper at Randwick,” Hayes said.
