Caulfield Guineas plans for upwardly mobile Evaporate
Lindsay Park’s rapidly improving gelding Evaporate (Per Incanto) confirmed his place in next month’s Caulfield Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) with a dominant display in Friday night’s Stutt Stakes (Gr 2, 1600m) at The Valley.
The son of Per Incanto (Street Cry) had failed to break his maiden in four starts as a juvenile before scoring at the fifth time of asking on the first day of the new season, running out a 1.3-length winner in a 1400-metre maiden at Cranbourne.
Since that victory, the Ben, JD, and Will Hayes-trained gelding’s form has taken off. A win at The Valley followed Evaporate’s maiden success before he then made it two wins from as many starts at the track in a 1600-metre handicap on September 7.
Arriving into Friday night’s Group 2 chasing an impressive four-timer, and hat-trick at the course, Evaporate was well-supported in the market pre-race and eventually sent off a $3.80 second-elect behind Dawn Service (Justify).
Ridden by Michael Dee, who was chasing a quickfire stakes double on the night having steered Bellatrix Star to victory in the previous race, Evaporate was forced to come four-wide round the home bend.
After hitting the front inside the final 200 metres, the gelding was always in control to beat the fast-finishing Henlein (Dundeel) by a length with Rue De Royale (Per Incanto) a further 2.3 lengths back in third.
“He’s just stepped up every time,” the winning rider told Racing.com. “I think I’ve said it every time I’ve won on him that he’s just improved each time he steps out.
“He went to a new level again tonight and we saw a bit of versatility from him. He would usually go forward, and we’d planned to go forward tonight, but I didn’t want to be caught up on the fence so I elected to drop to a position further back and he was dominant.
“As a two-year-old he just wasn’t ready, he’s really come into his own now and is improving each time so hopefully he’s still in this sort of form come the Caulfield Guineas.”
Having had Mr Brightside (Bullbars) run second in the Feehan Stakes (Gr 2, 1600m) earlier on the card, where he was just not able to get to grips with the front-running Pride Of Jenni (Pride Of Dubai), co-trainer Will Hayes welcomed the victory for a team in good form.
“It’s a big credit to the team, we have such good people around us and that’s why the horses can come out and produce the results, so we’re really the front-head of a good machine,” he said.
“It’s always difficult to build a picket fence and that’s what this lad has done. He’s got a good affinity with The Valley and I think that win had a lot of credit to it.
“There was predicted to be a bit of speed and then they didn’t go that quick, so for him to circle after being pushed out wide and then win quite dominantly just shows he’s going from strength-to-strength.”
Questioned on whether the rapid rise of Evaporate surprised him, Hayes responded: “No, at home he’s always shown us really nice ability. You’ll see we have got the cross noseband on so it was just a matter of the penny dropping and once we got that moment and he started racing more tractable, the rest is history.”
Following Friday’s convincing success, Evaporate was quoted at $11 for the Caulfield Guineas in a fortnight’s time, and Hayes confirmed that would be the destination for the gelding, stating: “I think you’d be mad not to think it.”
Bred by Little Avondale Stud, and becoming the 30th individual stakes winner for the stud’s marquee stallion Per Incanto (Street Cry), Evaporate (3 g ex Savanna by Animal Kingdom) was bought by Lindsay Park Racing for $330,000 at last year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
Raced by Francis and Christine Cook’s Mystery Downs, the gelding is out of the unraced Animal Kingdom (Leroidesanimaux) mare Savanna making him a brother to winner Ohtani.
Savanna is herself a half-sister to Belluci Babe (Per Incanto), winner of the 2022 Wenona Girl Quality (Gr 3, 1200m) when carrying the Little Avondale colours.