Irish-bred gallop Camorra is set for his Australian debut in the Melbourne Cup for Lindsay Park
Lindsay Park trainers Ben and J D Hayes are hoping to have a better Melbourne Cup experience with Camorra than they had 12 months ago with their first runner.
Port Guillaume came to Australia to run in the 2020 Melbourne Cup, but bone bruising ruled him out while the Hayes brothers prepared the import for another crack last year.
After some indifferent performances, Port Guillaume eventually finished 21st behind Verry Elleegant.
Camorra will be the Hayes brother’s second runner when he makes his debut for Lindsay Park in Tuesday’s Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington and Ben Hayes is banking on his experience in quarantine bringing out the best in the Irish-bred stayer.
Before joining his father David and cousin Tom Dabernig in a training partnership, Hayes was a travelling foreman for the pair.
One of the horses in his care was Criterion who campaigned in Europe during the English summer of 2015 and upon his return to Australia spent time in quarantine at Werribee.
It was that experience that has helped Hayes and his brother prepare Camorra.
“I’ve had lots of experience looking after horses in quarantine,” Hayes said.
“I looked after Criterion. I travelled him overseas and looked after him when he came back.
“He came out and won the Caulfield Stakes, ran second to Winx in the Cox Plate and ran third in the Melbourne Cup.
“He did two weeks and bounced out of that, and I don’t see it being any different for Camorra and from what I’ve seen of the horse and on his work, he’s adapted well here to Australia.
“He’d been trained at (previous trainer) Ger Lyon’s the whole time, and this is the first time he has travelled away, so I’m hoping it stimulates him.”
Hayes says nothing should be read into Camorra’s most recent start of a wet track in the Irish St Leger last month.
He said the track was ‘bottomless’ that day and that the Flemington track on Tuesday will be nowhere near as wet.
“We’ve got a beautiful surface here.,” Hayes said.
“It’s interesting Ger did say to J D when he went over that if it’s a good track, you have to scratch him.
“I’m happy that there is a bit of give, a soft track I would prefer, but a heavy dampens my confidence.”
