According to Ben Hayes, Evaporate is destined for Group 1 honours, although star mare Autumn Glow’s entry in the George Ryder Stakes at Rosehill could postpone that moment slightly.
Six-time winner from 21 starts, Evaporate fell just short of a breakthrough elite win last outing, denied by Tom Kitten in Flemington’s All-Star Mile (1600m) for his fourth Group 1 podium.
The Sydney-centric Doncaster Mile (1600m) is Hayes’ top priority for Evaporate, with Saturday’s George Ryder Stakes (1500m) versus Autumn Glow set to offer clear insight.
“It’s going to be a hot race, but it will let us know where we’re at and then he will probably head to the Doncaster with 54-1/2 (kilos),” Hayes said.
“He’s won over $3 million and hasn’t won a Group One, so it’s a pretty good effort. Not many do that.
“He’s a Group One horse that just hasn’t done it yet.”
Evaporate, at $23, has been stakes-tested since his juvenile spring and handles Sydney well, victorious in Randwick’s Carbine Club Stakes (1600m) 12 months ago and runner-up to Autumn Glow in the Golden Eagle (1500m).
Hayes lauded the All-Star Mile effort, where Evaporate dragged rivals up to pacemaker Pride Of Jenni and fought relentlessly home.
“It was super. He towed the field up to Jenni, chased her. Tom Kitten sat off him and just got him late,” he said.
“But I loved the way he kept kicking. He has always been a genuine horse.”
The George Ryder Stakes classically precedes the Doncaster Mile, matching ambitions for the slept-on gelding Encap.
Fresh from a creditable sixth in the Canterbury Stakes (1300m), less than 1-1/2 lengths shy of Joliestar, Encap has had straightforward training following a spring hampered by poor ground.
“His feet are so much better now too,” Portelli said.
“We’ve had problems with his feet over the years, and he wasn’t coming out of the gates and getting going, I think because they were hurting him.
“He almost won the Doncaster Mile last year at 50-1. We don’t care about the price as long as we get a result, although his pattern makes it very hard to win and he is up against the best horses.”
Encap ($126) and Hawkes Racing’s Nepotism ($201) represent the pair of George Ryder Stakes competitors beyond $100 in the market.
Visit premier sports betting platforms for the top betting markets for the race on George Ryder Stakes.