Ben, Will and J D Hayes are taking a cautious approach with Nervous Witness as they look to return the former Hong Kong sprinter to winning form.
Nervous Witness was previously trained by David Hayes in Hong Kong before being repatriated late last year and joining the Lindsay Park team.
After completing four jump-outs and trials, the gelding is ready to resume and is expected to travel to Randwick on Saturday for a Benchmark 94 over 1000m.
The outcome of that run will dictate whether he progresses to elite Victorian sprints such as the Lightning Stakes, the Oakleigh Plate or the Newmarket Handicap.
Nervous Witness impressed in a recent trial, scoring by seven lengths over Wonder Boy, Treasurethe Moment and Sneaky Sunrise, though Hayes cautioned against reading too much into the margin.
“As we saw in his trial, he’s got a high cruising speed and he’s always been a horse that trials very well, so don’t let that trick you,” Hayes said.
“But for me, it was exciting to see because it looks like he’s got that enthusiasm back.
“He was a boom Hong Kong sprinter, he had a great record, but towards the end Dad just felt he had lost him, but we think we’ve found him again.
“We were able to give him a good break, and they don’t get that opportunity in Hong Kong to go out in the paddock.
“He’s been here a while. We built him up to the trial stage then tipped him out and built him up again and he’s now ready to go to the races.
“There’s a nice race in Sydney, a (benchmark) 94 over 1000 metres next Saturday, and he should get in beautifully there.
“If he was to run well, we could back him up in the Lightning Stakes (at Flemington the following week) or in the Oakleigh Plate two weeks later, then there is the Newmarket, and he should get in with no weight.”
The stable has previous experience with similar campaigns paying dividends.
Redkirk Warrior famously won the Newmarket Handicap first-up in 2017 before returning the following season to complete the Lightning–Newmarket double.
“It would be nice to do something similar,” Hayes said.
“Redkirk Warrior was a bit younger as this guy is an eight-year-old now, but he’s a very fast horse and he loves the straight.
“We’re very happy to have him in the stable, that’s for sure.”
Markets on leading betting platforms could shift quickly if Nervous Witness makes a strong return.
The post Small steps to start former HK galloper Nervous Witness first appeared on Just Horse Racing.
