Lindsay Park is set to pursue ongoing supremacy in the Victoria Handicap, with two representatives in the upcoming Group 3 race at Caulfield.
The 1400m showdown proved elusive for the stable this century prior to Here To Shock’s 2024 conquest, echoed by Nicolini Vito last year.
Here To Shock reappears Saturday hunting his second edition success for Ben, Will and J D Hayes, partnered by Cafe Millennium.
Here To Shock and Nicolini Vito had entered the Victoria Handicap previously on 54kg minimums, but Here To Shock now packs 60kg with saddlecloth one, and Cafe Millennium 58kg as the runner-up weight.
A third Lindsay Park runner, Give Me Space at 54kg, didn’t gain acceptance into the limit of 16 plus two reserves, shifting to the Noel Rundle Handicap (1400m) on 62kg with a 1.5kg deduction for Logan Bates.
Embodying Mr Brightside’s role, Here To Shock is integral to Lindsay Park’s roster.
April 2023 brought his first stakes score in Bendigo’s Listed Golden Mile, then the Group 3 Victoria Handicap 12 months afterward.
His resume features Group 3 triumphs in Brisbane and Sydney, a Group 1 in New Zealand last year, and fourth at Te Rapa this February.
Resuming domestically, Here To Shock ran second to Scheelite in Flemington’s Shaftesbury Avenue Stakes (1400m) March 7, followed by another second in a recent Werribee jump-out.
J D Hayes praised Here To Shock as an enduring wonder in excellent shape.
“He trialled up super and he’ll run an honest race as he’s so consistent,” Hayes said.
Cafe Millennium poses challenges in form reading but has quality, hampered by post 15 Saturday.
He landed a Listed at Flemington February 14, then fifth to Scheelite March 7.
“We scratched him from the heavy track last week,” Hayes said.
“He’s a good 1400-metre horse, but we would probably prefer him at Flemington.”
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