Lindsay Park is aiming to cash in on a late-spring opportunity with Roll On High at Caulfield this Saturday.
The five-year-old will chase a drought-breaking win in the $200,000 Group 3 Summoned Stakes.
The 1600-metre event will be run 11 days after Roll On High’s fast-finishing second placing in the Group 3 Hong Kong Jockey Club Stakes at Flemington and co-trainer Ben Hayes said while it was not originally part of her spring itinerary, it has emerged as a good option.
“We were originally not going to head to this race, but we looked at the noms and thought it was very suitable,” Hayes said.
“She’s come through the last run excellent. She ran some of the fastest splits of the meeting, but still got beaten, and I think this is a good opportunity to get another Stakes win.”
Bookmakers agree, with Roll On High the $3.30 favourite for the Summoned Stakes, in which she will start from barrier eight of 10.
Roll On High has not won since claiming the Group 3 Fred Best Classic (1400m) on June 1 last year and hasn’t raced beyond 1400m since her fourth placing in the Group 2 Sunline Stakes (1600m) in March last year.
Roll On High’s only other start beyond 1400m was a second placing in a 1500m Bendigo maiden at her second racetrack appearance, when trained by Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman.
Hayes concedes the ‘mile’ is a query but is keen to test her at what will be the fourth run of her first campaign for Hayes and his co-trainer brothers Will and JD.
“It’s a big question mark, but she hasn’t been tried out to that trip very much and the way she hit the line the other day, you’d suggest a mile would be no problems.”
A daughter of Shamus Award, Roll On High is out of the High Chaparral mare All Highs On Me, who is a three-quarter-sister to Victoria Derby winner Monaco Consul.
