The powerhouse Lindsay Park stable will be aiming to secure their fourth consecutive victory in the P B Lawrence Stakes when they send out two contenders at Caulfield this weekend.
Mr Brightside claimed the Group 2 event over 1400m in back-to-back years before Gentleman Roy added to the stable’s dominance last year. This time around, trainers Ben, Will, and J D Hayes will be represented by Here To Shock and Evaporate, both resuming after promising performances in recent jump-outs.
Evaporate, stepping out for the first time as a four-year-old, made a strong impression in his three-year-old season. Highlights included a third-place finish in the Group 1 Caulfield Guineas, a run in the Group 1 Cox Plate against seasoned stars, and a Group 3 Carbine Club Stakes victory at Randwick after competing in both New Zealand and Sydney.
Ben Hayes is confident the gelding has made further progress during his break. “His trials have been excellent, he’s come through his trials really well and he’s a horse I think that is going to be in for a very good campaign,” Hayes said. “He’s already raced at weight-for-age at a very high level. Usually when they step from three to four they haven’t done it, but he has already. He’s run in a Cox Plate, he’s run at weight-for-age against some of the best horses in Australia. He’s already made that step up and I think he will be able to do it again.”
Hayes noted that Evaporate, once a challenging ride, is now maturing and settling better in his work. “He’s just starting to relax and we think that will be the key with him,” he said.
Stablemate Here To Shock has also shown encouraging signs since his last start, a Group 1 second at Randwick in March. His previous campaign yielded six top-two finishes from seven starts, including big-money races. “We could not be happier with the way he is going,” Hayes said. “He was trialling against some very smart sprinters in Baraqiel and Arabian Summer last time and he showed he is right on track. He has to kick off there because he won $2 million last preparation and his rating doesn’t allow him to take any easier options. It will be good to see how he measures up against some of the better horses.”
The 11-horse field will see Here To Shock jump from the widest barrier under Daniel Stackhouse, while Evaporate has drawn barrier 3 with Blake Shinn aboard. Sydney visitor Private Eye will start from barrier 8 with Nash Rawiller, Pinstriped and Ben Allen from barrier 9, and Desert Lightning in gate 1 for Ben Melham.
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