The Lindsay Park stable of Ben, Will and Hayes finished just shy of 200 winners in the recently completely season and will be looking for an early Stakes race win at Flemington.
The brothers prepared 199 winners Australia wide for the 2023-24 season and got the 2024-25 season off to a good start with an early double at Cranbourne on Thursday.
But at Flemington on Saturday the Lindsay Park team will be pinning their hopes in Nicolini Vito and Crosshaven in the Group 3 Aurie’s Star Handicap (1200m).
J D Hayes said both horses are going really well, and is expecting the pair to run well on Saturday.
Nicolini Vito struck a purple patch of form earlier in the winter, running second over 1200m at Flemington in the Listed Straight Six on May 18 before scoring and then running second at Sandown, both times over 1400m, in two subsequent performances.
Hayes said Nicolini Vito had been kept up to the mark with a couple of jump-outs at Flemington.
He said the Group 2 P B Lawrence Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on August 17 could be on the agenda if Nicolini Vito runs well on Saturday.
“He’s been about six weeks between runs, so he’s had two jump-outs to keep him up to the mark,” Hayes said.
“He’s got great residual fitness as it wasn’t that long ago since he was racing.
“He seems to be better than ever this time and if he was to be able to win a race like the Aurie’s Star, then we could look at a race like the P B Lawrence, but we’ll worry about that after Saturday.”
Crosshaven, who officially turned seven on Thursday, has been a difficult horse to follow later in his career but has struck form of late since being restricted to straight racing at Flemington.
The gelding won the Caulfield Guineas Prelude as a three-year-old and later the Carbine Club Stakes at Flemington and as an older galloper the Group 3 Kevin Heffernan Stakes at Caulfield.
But he was in the wilderness for a time until breaking back into winning form over 1100m at Flemington on June 22.
Hayes said races like the Bobbie Lewis Stakes and the Gilgai Stakes, down the Flemington straight, could be on Crosshaven’s agenda if he runs well on Saturday.
“He has a liking for the straight and has got himself back into form, so we’ll keep to the straight if the program permits it,” Hayes said.
“He’s been up a long time, but he’s very fresh and well in himself and he’s a rock-hard fit gelding and he’s done terrific with the time between runs.”
