Lindsay Park’s domination of the richest race on Bendigo’s Golden Mile program continued on Saturday when the Hayes brothers produced the well-related Marffiano to win the VOBIS Gold Rush.
Tycoon Star’s half-brother led home a Lindsay Park quinella when he defeated Resonant in the race for two-year-olds that carries $250,000 in prizemoney plus $30,000 in VOBIS bonuses.
It was the third VOBIS Gold Rush win in a row for Ben, Will and JD Hayes, who won last year’s edition with Killiana after victory with Bold Bastille in 2024.
Marffiano, a son of boom freshman stallion Home Affairs, cost $475,000 at last year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale and Ben was thrilled to see him stamp his class at his first trip to the races.
“Just before the race we were saying how he’s quite a laid-back customer – a bit like his older brother, he can be a bit lazy in trackwork sometimes as well – hence the winkers were on,” Hayes said.
“He’ll come out one morning and do his work well and then, next time, it’ll feel like you’d never taught him do anything and he’ll get it all completely wrong.
“So, the owners have been through ups and downs through the whole preparation but to come out and win a big VOBIS race like this is just a big thrill and well done to the whole team.”
Despite Hayes’ pre-race misgivings, Marffiano ($9) was on his best behaviour at Bendigo, capitalising on a good start and good run just behind the leaders to strike the lead around 150m out and holding off the fast-finishing Resonant ($19) to score by half-a-length.
Running Rich ($11), who led the event, boxed on well to hold down third spot, a further 1-1/4 lengths away.
Declan Bates had the honours aboard Marffiano on debut and the jockey was impressed with the feel he gave him.
“He made my life pretty easy, to be honest,” Bates said.
“He was a real, gentleman. He done everything right – he began nice, the speed was nice, we were able to just camp off it and I just liked that the further we went in the race, the better he went underneath me.”
Despite the stylish start to his career, Hayes said he and his brothers would most likely resist the temptation of extending Marffiano’s campaign in preference to getting him in the spelling paddock and plotting a path towards some of the three-year-old sprinting features in spring.
