Co-trainer David Hayes is considering an ambitious Group 1 Australian Cup bid for the stable’s in-form galloper Boom Time after the stallion’s 2017 Ladbrokes Mornington Cup Prelude win at Caulfield on Blue Diamond Day.
Ladbrokes Mornington Cup Prelude winner Boom Time could be 2017 Australian Cup bound on Super Saturday at Flemington. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.
The nicely-bred five-year-old son of Flying Spur enjoyed his fourth win from his latest five starts, scoring an upset in the first at Caulfield taking out the $120,000 Listed Ladbrokes Mornington Cup Prelude (2000m).
Boom Time strung together three wins on the trot at Flemington and Moonee Valley earlier in the spring – summer season before a last start fifth at the Gold Coast in mid-January’s Magic Millions Trophy (2200m).
He atoned and was back in winning form now boasting wins at all the major Melbourne race tracks with a gutsy late victory over the Darren Weir-trained Goldstream ($4.80) in the Mornington Cup Prelude on Saturday.
Eventual third-placegetter Pilote D’Essai ($4.50) also represented the Lindsay Park stable in the race and led the field around carrying the 58.5kg top weight with Regan Bayliss aboard.
Pilote D’Essai, coming off a first-up ninth in the Group 3 TS Carlyon Cup (1600m) a fortnight back, jumped evenly from the gates before working his way to the front to lead from Vengeur Masque on the outside of Boom Time and his hoop Mark Zahra.
Zahra got Boom Time settled into a lovely fourth just behind Goldstream on the rails, a position the he held until the closing stages of the handicap clash.
“I got into the right spot…and come out when I wanted,” Zahra said post-win.
“The other horse [Pilote D’Essai] give me something to catch, but he was strong through the line.
“He was too good in the end.”
On the straight off the beautiful up-front ride, Pilote D’Essai gave a kick but the stablemate Boom Time was closing fast and caught him with 200m to go.
Claiming the lead, Boom Time charged home over the final furlong and beat home Goldstream who flashed up the inside while the pace-setter held to round out the Mornington Cup Prelude trifecta.
“We underrated him a little bit,” Hayes said of Boom Time after the victory.
“Obviously Boom Time is a pretty good horse on his day.”
The lucrative $300,000 Listed Mornington Cup (2400m) runs on March 25, but Hayes said they might be tempted to step Boom Time up in class for a shot at the $1.5 million Group 1 Australian Cup (2000m) at Flemington on March 11.
“We’ve got to think about it, maybe we’ll get a bit ambitious and go for the Australian Cup,” Hayes, a three-time winner of the weight-for-age Group 1, said.
“He’s still an entire and he’s got a stallion’s pedigree.”
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2017 Mornington Cup Prelude Results & Finishing Order
Caulfield Race 1 – 25/02/2017
| Place | # | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Margin | Br. | Wgt. | SP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | BOOM TIME | David & B Hayes & T Dabernig | Mark Zahra | – | 3 | 55.5kg | $9 |
| 2 | 4 | GOLDSTREAM (ITY) | Darren Weir | Craig Williams | 0.4L | 1 | 55kg | $5 |
| 3 | 1 | PILOTE D’ESSAI (GB) | David & B Hayes & T Dabernig | Regan Bayliss | 0.9L | 4 | 58.5kg | $4.60 |
| 4 | 7 | MASTER ZEPHYR (GB) | Darren Weir | Dean Yendall | 1.4L | 5 | 54kg | $16 |
| 5 | 6 | VENGEUR MASQUE (IRE) | Michael Moroney | Kerrin McEvoy | 1.7L | 6 | 54kg | $15 |
| 6 | 5 | SECOND BULLET | Danny O’Brien | Damian Lane | 2.45L | 2 | 55kg | $2.60F |
| 7 | 2 | ASSIGN (IRE) | Robert Hickmott | Ms Katelyn Mallyon | 4.2L | 7 | 58kg | $13 |
| – | 8 | ADIRONDACK | Shawn Mathrick | Dwayne Dunn | – | 0 | – | – |
