No Aurie’s Star return for Vega Magic
Co-trainer Ben Hayes says Lindsay Park will defer Vega Magic’s return with rain predicted.
The Lindsay Park team has opted not to run dual Group One winner Vega Magic in the Aurie’s Star Handicap but the stable will still have two runners in the Group Three sprint at Flemington.
The Aurie’s Star (1200m) had been earmarked as the return for Vega Magic who has contested jump-outs at Flemington the past two Fridays, but co-trainer Ben Hayes said the likelihood of a wet track meant they would rely on So Si Bon and Seaburge.
Hayes said Vega Magic could now wait and return at Caulfield on August 31, with the Group Three The Heath (1100m) a possibility on the same program as the Group One Memsie Stakes (1400m).
“I think there’s rain predicted all week and we don’t want to run him on a wet track,” Hayes said.
“In the Regal Roller Stakes (on Saturday week) he gets 63 kilos so we probably don’t want to run him in that as well.
“Running first-up in the Memsie would probably be a bit hard. There’s a race called The Heath on the same day at that is 1100 metres and set weights plus penalties.
“So at the moment I think that’s the race we’re going to target with him.
“And it gives us a little bit more time and we can get a bit more work into him and have him a bit more forward. But there’s nothing wrong with him. It’s just the wet track.”
So Si Bon and Seaburge are among 20 entries for the Aurie’s Star which include Oohood, Material Man, Malibu Style, Iconoclasm, Sesar, and Reykjavik.
Hayes said they had taken a fresh approach for Seaburge’s first-up run.
“He’s only had one trial going into it. We’ve just kept him really fresh hoping he will sprint well,” he said.
“He’ll probably find them a bit good, but we’ll be looking for a good first-up run.”
Six-year-old gelding So Si Bon resumes for his first start since finishing last on a wet track in the Group One Doncaster Mile in Sydney in April and has also been kept fresh, with Hayes happy with how he is going.
“He’s had one trial and we’re keeping him fresh,” he said.
“He’s a sneaky chance.”
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