Lindsay Park will launch a three-horse attack on Saturday’s Aurie’s Star Handicap at Flemington, with champion jockey Blake Shinn making his long-awaited return aboard War Machine.
Shinn resumes at his first race meeting since suffering a serious fall on Melbourne Cup Day, while Mark Zahra also returns from his winter break to partner Arkansaw Kid after his Royal Ascot campaign. Jye McNeil completes the stable’s line-up aboard last-start winner Ndola.
Lindsay Park is chasing its first Aurie’s Star Handicap victory since So Si Bon claimed the Group 3 sprint in 2019 when David Hayes, Ben Hayes and Tom Dabernig prepared the stable.
Ben Hayes revealed it was Shinn who elected to ride War Machine after partnering both stablemates in jump-outs at Flemington last Friday.
“He rode them both in jump-outs last Friday and I don’t think there’s much between them,” Hayes said.
“He knows War Machine well and he’s going back to his old buddy.”
War Machine has not raced since finishing third in the Newmarket Handicap over the Flemington straight in March.
Hayes said the gelding had benefited from an extended break following a lengthy campaign after joining the stable in April last year.
“He lost his way a bit last preparation,” Hayes said.
“He had a long prep. He went to Queensland, freshened, came back, went to The Everest, came back, but just didn’t come up in the autumn.
“He had a long break, and he seems to have come back really well.
“His work at home has been great and seems a happier horse. He’s enjoying his trackwork, so hopefully that converts to some good runs.”
Arkansaw Kid has also undergone a different preparation, spending time at Lindsay Park’s Euroa base as well as Pakenham before recent jump-outs at Traralgon and Flemington.
“We changed things around with him to keep him thinking,” Hayes said.
“He’s been in work a long time, so it was like changing stables, without changing stables.
“I thought his Traralgon jump-out was good, his jump-out on Friday was great and he’s always been a consistent, good horse for the stable and is a horse we all love.
“He’s good down the straight, he’s won a couple of Bobbie Lewis Qualitys, so he knows what he’s doing.”
Ndola heads into Saturday’s feature in winning form after taking out the Listed Santa Ana Lane Series Final first-up on July 4 before defeating War Machine in a jump-out last week.
Hayes said the trial was designed to maintain the gelding’s fitness ahead of a four-week gap between races.
“He was good fresh when he got away with murder in front and they couldn’t catch him,” Hayes said.
“It’s a step up in class and he’s running against some very good horses, but he deserves to be there.”
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