The Lindsay Park team is no stranger to longshot success in the Group 1 Caulfield Cup, having famously won the race in 2017 when Boom Time delivered a shock victory for David and Ben Hayes and Tom Dabernig, with outsider jockey Cory Parish aboard.
Fast forward to 2025, and Lindsay Park—now led by Ben, Will and JD Hayes—will once again saddle up two roughies in Saturday’s 2400-metre feature: Bankers Choice ($101) and Plymouth ($61). Despite their big odds, Ben Hayes believes both gallopers can outperform expectations and finish in the top ten.
Parish became part of Caulfield Cup folklore through his dedication to the Lindsay Park team, and a similar opportunity now awaits apprentice jockey Celine Gaudray, who will partner Plymouth after years of hard work for the stable.
Gaudray has previously ridden twice at Group 1 level—both times on Buffalo River, a horse that carried the same colours as Plymouth and was trained by the late Mike Moroney, who also prepared Plymouth before his passing.
Ben Hayes said Gaudray has earned her chance on the big stage through her work ethic and recent success in black-type races.
“She has been riding a lot of work for us,” Hayes said.
“She’s had a bit of success and ridden a couple of Stakes winners, so we’re giving her an opportunity in a big race like this.
“You like to reward people who work hard, and she does jump-outs and rides work down at our Pakenham facility. She can do the weight, and she deserves her chance.”
Plymouth earned his berth in the Caulfield Cup with a strong second-place finish in last weekend’s Herbert Power Stakes (2400m) at Caulfield under Jamie Kah, who this week rides the $2.90 favourite Half Yours.
On Kah’s advice, Plymouth will race in visors instead of blinkers this time around.
“His run last week, we were really happy with,” Hayes said.
“Jamie just felt that he hit the front and star gazed a bit with the blinkers on, so we’ve done a minor gear change, gone from blinkers back to the visors.
“With the back-up run under his belt, he should run out the 2400 metres pretty strong.
“Mike had a good opinion of him, and we wanted to tick off the 2400 metres last start, and he definitely ticked that off.
“I have spoken to Jamie, and she said he can be very competitive, but she is also happy to be riding the other one (Half Yours).”
Meanwhile, Bankers Choice earned his Cup start after capturing the Mornington Cup (2400m) in April, which provided a ballot exemption into the field. Hayes said the victory allowed the stable to tailor his preparation perfectly without needing to chase qualification late.
“He had his Queensland prep, and was already in the race, so we didn’t need to screw him down and try and win his way in,” Hayes said.
“I thought his run the other day (at Mornington) was good.
“He’s a horse that naturally puts himself on pace and he’ll be rolling across, and he can run well and better than his odds suggest.”
Punters looking to back the Lindsay Park duo in the Caulfield Cup can find the latest odds and top promotions at Australia’s best betting sites, ranked among Google’s most searched destinations for horse racing markets and spring carnival offers.
