The training team of Ben, Will, and J D Hayes at Lindsay Park is optimistic about capitalising on the current form of their stayer at Flemington.
The Western Front is scheduled to participate in a 2500m handicap race this Saturday, aiming to extend his streak of consistent performances.
This New Zealand-bred gelding achieved a victory in the Listed Sandown Cup (3200m) on May 31 and will be targeting his fifth win of this preparation on Saturday.
The Western Front began his campaign in January, finishing fourth in two 1600m contests at Flemington and Pakenham before finding winning form over 2025m at Cranbourne.
A subsequent journey to Sydney preceded The Western Front’s victories over 2400m at Caulfield and then 2500m at Flemington, both occurring in April.
The gelding’s performance in the Listed Andrew Ramsden (2800m), where he finished sixth, could be perceived as his weakest run based on the results.
However, J D Hayes clarified that the stable was far from disappointed with the effort, a sentiment later vindicated by his win in the Sandown Cup.
The horse that finished second at Sandown, Zibulon, has since gone on to finish second in the Brisbane Cup (3200m) last Saturday. In the Andrew Ramsden, the runner-up Pounding subsequently ran second in the Q22 at Eagle Farm.
“He was quite good in the Andrew Ramsden at set-weights as he was giving a lot of weight away,” Hayes said.
“He’s rock hard fit, he stays well.
“Ideally, we would love to stay at 3200 (metres), but this was the next option in Victoria, and he’s shown that he has trained on beautifully.”
Hayes indicated that no specific future targets have been set for The Western Front at present, but while the gelding is performing well, he will continue to race through the winter season.
Potential upcoming races include the Banjo Paterson Series Final (2600m) at Flemington on July 4 and the Deane Lester-Flemington Cup 1849 (2800m) two weeks later.
“The remaining staying races through the winter are possibilities and then be the fit horse in the early part of the spring,” Hayes said.
“We’ll go run by run, but the plan is not to stop and hopefully he can be a bit of an ATM.
“They win more money in work than out of work.”
Considering The Western Front’s excellent staying form, exploring online bookmakers for competitive racing odds is advisable.
