Bacash out to extend Lindsay Park’s baby boom
Cosmic Force colt will attempt to book his ticket to the Gold Coast when he lines up at Caulfield Heath on Saturday
The Lindsay Park training team will look to continue their rich run of juvenile success this season when their colt Bacash (Cosmic Force) aims to stamp his ticket to the Gold Coast in Saturday’s Magic Millions VIC 2YO Classic (1100m) at Caulfield Heath.
The Hayes brothers are hoping to mastermind their fifth two-year-old victory of the campaign with Bacash, who is one of only three runners in Saturday’s $250,000 contest boasting previous raceday experience.
Following his runner-up finish behind stablemate Tycoon Star (Written Tycoon) in the Maribyrnong Plate (Gr 3, 1000m) – a race which saw Team Hayes train the trifecta – Bacash made a strong impression in a recent home track jump-out.
Since Tycoon Star’s owners Yulong are intent on chasing Group 1 glory in the Blue Diamond Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) with the son Written Tycoon (Iglesia), the farm’s flagship stallion, the stable’s hopes of winning a first Magic Millions Gold Coast 2YO Classic (RL, 1200m) rest primarily on Bacash’s broad shoulders.
Having amassed earnings of just over $40,000, the son of Newgate Farm’s speed machine Cosmic Force (Deep Field) occupied 11th place when the order of entry was first released on Tuesday; but with the winner on Saturday offered a golden ticket into the $2 million contest, co-trainer Ben Hayes is hopeful Bacash can secure his spot in the starting gates with a first career victory under Craig Williams on Saturday.
“I really liked his recent jump-out, I thought he was very professional,” said Hayes, who together with his brothers Will and JD has overseen recent juvenile victories for Miss Celine (Magnus), Shining Smile (Spirit Of Boom) and Hello Romeo (Hello Youmzain).
“On the advice of James McDonald, who rode him in the Maribyrnong Plate, we’ve applied the winkers on Saturday so we’re hoping they will sharpen him up and keep him focused. He’s drawn a good gate [1] and I’d expect him to be really competitive, so hopefully he can get the golden ticket to the Gold Coast because he’s our number one seed for the two-year-old race at this stage.”
Bacash was bred by Ian Bell, proprietor of the Geelong-based Campolina Racing and Breeding, who purchased the colt’s dam Classique (Duke Of Marmalade) when she was carrying Bacash in utero. He then fetched $120,000 at last year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Weanling Sale – he was subsequently purchased by Lindsay Park for $200,000 as a yearling – and Bell bought Classique online for a fraction of that fee, so he is already ahead.
Bell has his work Christmas party to attend, so he won’t be trackside as Caulfield Heath hosts its first Saturday meeting but the 72-year-old will certainly be taking time out from the festivities to tune in – not least as he is taking Bacash’s half-brother by Lean Mean Machine to the sales next year.
“People keep telling me I should have stayed in Bacash, they’re probably right but I’ve still got the mare and her Lean Mean Machine colt is a nice type,” Bell told ANZ Bloodstock Media.
“If Bacash can run well on Saturday then at the Gold Coast in January, I’m sure there will be a fair bit of interest in his half-brother when I take him to the Adelaide Magic Millions Yearling Sale next March. Classique is currently in foal to Bruckner, who I think will prove to be a decent stallion in the future, so hopefully she’ll produce another nice foal for us next year.
“Coincidentally I also bred Miss Iano, the dam of Tycoon Star, so it was a pretty proud moment when that horse won the Maribyrnong Plate and Bacash ran second to him. I actually thought Bacash was the better horse before the race, and he may still be, but hopefully Tycoon Star can live up to his name and become a star because I still own Miss Iano’s full-sister, who has a nice yearling by Rubick which we’ll also be taking to the sales.”
Bacash opened up the $2.80 favourite in the betting markets, and Lindsay Park’s sole runner in Saturday’s Magic Millions VIC 3YO & 4YO Classic (1200m), their Capitalist (Written Tycoon) filly Miss Altair, is also vying for favouritism after stringing together back-to-back wins this prep.
Bred by the Ramsey family’s Turangga Farm, the $240,000 purchase at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale is the first foal out of Shining Eagle (Verrazzano), whose dam Dashing Eagle (Danehill) was a multiple Group 1 winner for the late Bart Cummings.
Having taken time to furnish, Miss Altair has really hit her straps this campaign and heads into Saturday’s $175,000 contest in fine fettle following a pair of emphatic victories by a combined winning margin of 6.25 lengths.
The filly is owned by an all-female syndicate put together by long-time Lindsay Park servant Jenny McAlpine and Hayes’ wife Grace Ramage, so the $250,000 Racing Women’s Bonus on offer in the $3 million Magic Millions 3YO Guineas (RL, 1400m) is a significant financial incentive for her connections.
“She’s going super and you can see she’s now really starting to mature, physically and more importantly mentally,” Hayes told ANZ Bloodstock News.
“She’s a big lengthy filly with plenty of strength about her now, and she wasn’t slowing down on the line at her past two starts over 1200 metres, so we’re hopeful she’d run out a strong 1400 metres if she can get into the three-year-old Guineas on Magic Millions Day. Saturday will tell us more but we’d love to take her up to the Gold Coast, because some of her owners are already getting pretty excited about the prospect of a trip away.”
Speaking of trips away, Team Hayes’ two-year-old colt Imaginate (Written Tycoon) is set to embark on a journey to Randwick to make his race debut in the lucrative Inglis Nursery (RL, 1000m) on Saturday.
The flashy chestnut bolted in at the Traralgon trials last week, which persuaded the brothers to throw in a nomination for the $500,000 contest, which is restricted to Inglis sales graduates.
Imaginate was bought for $300,000 from the Yulong draft at this year’s Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, and his high-profile ownership group – which includes Neil Werrett and recent Sport Australia Hall of Fame inductee Gerry Ryan – would virtually recoup their outlay in one fell swoop if he can make a triumphant debut.
“He’s certainly a very progressive horse and he’s done everything we’ve asked of him so far,” said Hayes.
“Having seen the way some of his rivals have trialled, it looks a very competitive field but he’s drawn well and maps to get a good run. We haven’t made a final call yet on whether we send him to Sydney, so we’ll wait until we’ve spoken to the group but there are half a million reasons to run him in the race, so at this stage I’d say he’s more likely than not to travel up there.”