Tagaloa Guineas-bound after CS Hayes victory
The 2020 Blue Diamond Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) winner Tagaloa (Lord Kanaloa) rediscovered that sizzling form, albeit in different silks, when he turned in a powerful on-speed effort to win the C S Hayes Stakes (Gr 3, 1400m) at Flemington yesterday.
Wearing the Yulong colours of bottle green, white checked sleeves and white cap after a recent part-purchase of the colt, Tagaloa was challenged inside the final 200 metres by Caulfield Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) placegetter Aysar (Deep Field), but forged clear late under new rider Luke Currie to score by a length. Mo’Unga (Savabeel) was a further three-quarters of a length behind in third.
Co-trainer Natalie Young was delighted to declare: “Tags is back” after admitting the winless 12 months with the colt had been frustrating.
“Thank God, what a relief,” said Young, who trains in partnership with Trent Busuttin. “It’s fantastic, actually. Dominated that today, and he (Currie) gave him a peach of a ride and it worked out perfectly.”
Four of the past six winners of the Australian Guineas (Gr 1, 2000m) have landed the race having previously taken out the Hayes, and Young said Tagaloa will attempt to add to that tally in a fortnight.
“In a couple of weeks’ time (Australian Guineas) he’s going to meet half the same field with two kilos (better) at the set weights so it’s really nice going forward that he’s keeping his value.
“He’s got that Group 3 win as a three-year-old. I think Mr Zhang, Yulong, will be happy. All the owners, they’ll be at home watching and hopefully they’re jumping and screaming like I just was.”
Malua Racing’s Zou Dancer (Zoustar) also has the Australian Guineas on her agenda after taking the step up in grade firmly in her stride with a win in the Vanity Stakes (Gr 3, 1400m) at Flemington yesterday.
Zou Dancer carried a low domestic rating of just 68 into the race but she emerged as a potential Group 1 winner after she spanked VRC Oaks (Gr 1, 2500m) winner Personal (Fastnet Rock) by almost five lengths when recording a most impressive time for the 1400-metre journey.
The three-year-old filly, who was having just her fifth race start, recorded a sizzling 1:22.32 for the journey and only an hour or so early the Group 1-bound Regardsmaree (So You Think) won over the same trip in a time almost one second slower than Zou Dancer (1:23.19).
Troy Corstens, who trains the filly in partnership with father Leon, said the $1 million Australian Guineas looked the race to aim for with the Zoustar (Northern Meteor) filly, who was winning for the third time in five starts having cost $150,000 as a yearling for owners Bennett Racing.
“I’d say you’d have to start looking at the Australian Guineas,” Corstens said. “We talked about it and we don’t want to put the cart before the horse but we’ll have a talk to Jamie (Kah) and see what she thinks.
“We’ve only had her for this preparation. She came from Tony and Calvin (McEvoy) and she came to us in terrific order so we can’t say we developed her from a young horse but the Bennett boys said they were giving us a really good horse and they were right.”