Jockey Jye McNeil has suggested that Stakes’ own nature is his biggest adversary, despite the colt’s victory in The Valley @ Caulfield Handicap (1200m) at Caulfield Heath.
Having made a winning debut at Bendigo last month, Stakes went on to claim The Valley @ Caulfield Handicap (1200m) on Saturday, achieving his second career win from three starts.
Sporting blinkers for the first time, Stakes ($4.40) secured a narrow victory by a short head over the $3.70 favourite Commit, with Put To The Sword ($14) finishing a long neck back in third.
In the lead-up to Saturday’s race, Stakes had finished third over 1100m at Caulfield on July 25, following his initial win at Bendigo.
“I think they made all the difference,” McNeil remarked about the blinkers.
“The other day he didn’t participate in the race in the early stages and that put him out of contention.
“Today, he jumped a lot better with the blinkers on, plus we were up 100 metres in distance. We had cover for the first part and then we were stuck in a position three-wide outside the speed.
“He’s still so backward. He lays on the other horses, he was wayward in the straight and I had to go back to hands and heels in the straight to get the best out of him.
“The finished product is probably still a prep away, but he’s got the ability there.”
Stakes is prepared by the Lindsay Park training team comprising Ben, Will, and J D Hayes.
J D Hayes stated that Saturday’s win was a tough performance.
“He’s a horse that has always improved,” Hayes commented.
“He had the ultimate gear change as a younger horse and was always one that was going to develop into a lovely three-year-old type.
“Having that fitness under his belt, that told late and it came to the fore there late.”
Hayes indicated that the team would assess Stakes’ post-race condition before deciding on his future racing plans.
“That had a bit more credit to it as he was exposed from a long way out and he’s still not doing things 100 per cent,” Hayes noted.
“He’s a horse with a fair bit of improvement and I’m looking forward to seeing how he pulls up.”
Check out the latest racing betting markets for upcoming events.
