Veight ready to roar in the G2 Australia Stakes

The Tony and Calvin McEvoy-trained Veight will sport new race day headgear in a bid to overcome his wayward tendencies in his return run at Moonee Valley.

Veight runs in the Group 2 Australia Stakes (1200m) on Saturday and will wear a one-eyed blinker and a butterfly bit after working in the combination under Damian Lane at The Valley on Tuesday.

The colt will also wear earmuffs in the pre-parade on Saturday.

“Damian said he was fabulous,” Tony McEvoy said.

“It was more of a familiarising gallop, just to see him at The Valley. He’s got a tendency to lay out in his races, it’s a little bit of a bad habit.

“He followed a stablemate, he picked it up on the turn, came around it smoothly and didn’t want to go to the right.

“We were up about after the piece of work.”

The McEvoy stable has tried a number of bits and headgear on Veight including blinkers, winkers, lugging bit, crossover nose band and bubble cheeker on the colt.

McEvoy said the stable had worked hard to mend the colt’s waywardness.

He said the Australia Stakes was chosen ahead of the Group 3 Manfred Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield on Friday as the stable felt it would give them a better guide heading towards their next targets of the Group 1 Orr Stakes and Futurity Stakes double, both over 1400m at Caulfield next month.

“I need to see him at that level on Saturday to then go to the Orr, the Futurity,” he said.

“We won’t rule out the Australian Guineas (1600m at Flemington in March), although I feel he wasn’t really strong at the mile in the Caulfield Guineas in the spring.

“But he has grown up since then, and furnished, and he did run second.”

McEvoy said Veight was not mentally mature in the spring, but was a happier horse, within himself, leading into his first-up at The Valley.

Veight was not afforded a thorough break after finishing fifth to Ozzmosis in the Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) at Flemington on November 4.

“He went on the water-walker, so his base fitness is incredibly good,” McEvoy said.

“It’s been an easy prep to get him up for this race.

“Mentally he’s a little bit happier within himself as we were putting a lot of pressure on him in the spring and when you get to the elite level races there is a lot of pressure on young horses.

“I don’t think he was liking that too much, but he’s much happier now and he’s more of a man now than in the spring.

“He’s turned from a boy into a man.”