Veight ready to roar in the Manikato Stakes

Father-and-son training combination Tony and Calvin McEvoy are at the stage where they cannot wait to see Veight make his return to racing.

Meticulous planning has gone into the preparation of Veight’s return run in the Group 1 Manikato Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley on Friday night.

Soon after his victory in the Group 1 Ryder Stakes (1500m) at Rosehill in March, every thought about Veight was about preparing him for the Manikato Stakes.

Veight has been in training for more than 15 weeks, which Tony McEvoy conceded was a long time for a sprinter, especially first-up.

However, McEvoy said they wanted Veight near his peak for Friday night’s contest, which if successful in could shape his future as a stallion.

As part of his campaign, Veight made two trips to The Valley for gallops along with two trials at Cranbourne, while McEvoy said he also had an ‘away gallop’ at a track closer to his Ballarat stable.

“He’s not a good trial horse and his first trial looked very plain, and then to trial like he did the other day behind that fast 1000-metre stakes winner was exceptionally good,” McEvoy said.

“He bounced out of it and Jarrod Lorensini, who rides him all the time, said he’s never felt better.

“I think all the signs are he’s as good as he can be and probably as good as he ever has been.”

A plus for Veight is his liking for The Valley having won the Group 2 Australia Stakes (1200m) first-up in January.

McEvoy concedes Friday night’s contest to be a tougher test with a number of the opposition having race fitness underneath them.

But what McEvoy sees as a plus for Veight is his ability up to 1600m, having won the Ryder Stakes at 1400m and with seconds Caulfield Guineas and Australian Guineas at 1600m last season.

“To me, I always thought he was a miler and it’s hard to say he’s not a miler,” McEvoy said.

“He’s run second in two Group 1’s, but he’s very good at 1400 (metres), and his record at 1200 is really good

“It’ll be a good test for him, but he’s a really good horse and that’s where you’ve got to run him.”

The Manikato Stakes will be an audition for the $20 million The Everest (1200m) at Randwick on October 19 while also that day is the Group 3 Sydney Stakes (1200m) and the Silver Eagle (1300m), all possible lead ins to $10 million Golden Eagle (1500m) at Rosehill two weeks later.

Victory on Friday night would also be welcomed by part-owner Ray Pawsey who saw his mare The Big Chill finish third in the Manikato Stakes in 2003 behind Spinning Hill when prepared by Brian Mayfield-Smith.

The Big Chill raced in the same colours as Sunlight, trained by the McEvoy’s and a winner under lights at The Valley, claiming the 2019 William Reid Stakes, and who is the dam of Dawn Service, an acceptor in the Group 2 Stutt Stakes (1600m) on Friday night.