The Hayes family, reeling from the loss of a pivotal two-year-old in Lindsay Park’s notable annals only a day earlier, spotlighted a juvenile with star potential on the horizon.
All Too Hard’s gelding Hard Kick stormed into professional racing with a commanding display, routing adversaries in the $175,000 Listed Talindert Stakes (1100m) that launched Saturday’s Black Caviar Lightning festivities at Flemington.
Occurring just past 24 hours since the 22-year-old champion filly Miss Finland’s passing, J D Hayes recognized Hard Kick’s path to rivaling the 2006 Golden Slipper heroine remains long, but he beamed at the foal confirming the yard’s solid backing.
“What a thrill, he’s been very well-educated at home and we thought he was pretty good and he won with authority there,” Hayes, who trains in partnership with brothers Ben and Will, said.
“We’re not sure he’s as good as Miss Finland, but he looked pretty good there.”
Miss Finland’s Group 1 haul included five majors: the Slipper, Australian Guineas, Thousand Guineas, VRC Oaks and Storm Queen Stakes, prepared by David Hayes.
Hard Kick ($3), a $30,000 buy from Adelaide Magic Millions as a yearling repassed for $140,000 at last year’s Inglis Ready2Race, showed electric gate speed to front-run and quicken to a 2-3/4 length triumph over Zambales in 1:03.90.
At $13, Diameter was third, 1-3/4 lengths adrift.
Damian Lane, the jockey who trialed the colt extensively, hailed the run and pondered raising his lofty opinion further.
“I thought before today that he was a good horse, but just off the better ones, but off the back of that, he might be right up there,” Lane said.
Opportunities await for Hard Kick to chase Miss Finland’s near-success in the upcoming Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes next Saturday, per JD Hayes.
Late access to the $2m showdown demands $55,000, absent his initial nomination.
“We’ll keep the option open next week as he did win with head on his chest there, but there’s plenty of options going ahead with this horse. It’s very exciting,” Hayes said.
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