Lindsay Park eyes off feature jumps race
The in-form Lindsay Park stable will attempt to add a feature jumps race to its record when Honey Steel’s Gold runs in the Australian Hurdle at Sandown.
Lindsay Park is currently enjoying a stellar run of form and in the space of eight days notched up 16 winners.
A treble at Caulfield on May 13 was followed by five winners at Geelong the following Tuesday and another double at Pakenham on May 18.
The stable saved its best for Saturday with four winners at Flemington and two in Adelaide including the feature sprint, the $1 million Goodwood with Vega Magic.
Over the years the Hayes family concern has had considerable success with jumpers but Honey Steel’s Gold, who will line up in Saturday’s hurdle under Shane Jackson, is the only one racing at the moment.
Extra Zero, one of the stable’s four Flemington winners, is a proven jumper but a noted wet track failure and is unlikely to return to hurdle racing while the stable is preparing The Queen’s horse Bold Sniper as a future jumper.
Honey Steel’s Gold is yet to win over jumps in Victoria but won three hurdle races at Morphettville last year including the Grand National.
He was tried at steeplechasing earlier this year but fell at Oakbank in April and was switched back to the smaller jumps.
He was a last-start second to Renew in the Galleywood Hurdle at Warrnambool on May 3.
Long-time Lindsay Park foreman Gary Fennessy said Honey Steel’s Gold had held his form well since Warrnambool.
“I’ve had him in Melbourne since Warrnambool and he’s going terrific,” Fennessy said.
“After that run at Oakbank when he fell we jumped him every day for nearly two weeks just to get him back into hurdle mode and get his confidence back.
“He was good at Warrnambool so I haven’t bothered jumping him again since.”
Fennessy sees Renew as a major stumbling block on Saturday despite his disappointing performance in the Andrew Ramsden Stakes (3200m) at Flemington on Saturday.