Hayes team in anxious G1 Doncaster Mile wait

Lindsay Park is holding out hope for a last-minute inclusion of Rise At Dawn into the field for the Doncaster Mile, hoping he can recreate the Doncaster magic of former stablemate Mr Brightside.

Back in 2022, Mr Brightside was still unproven at Group level when he captured his first Doncaster victory. Fast forward to 2024, and the Hayes training partnership — Ben, Will, and JD — are hopeful Rise At Dawn can take a similar path.

Like Brightside, Rise At Dawn comes through the All-Star Mile (1600m), where he finished sixth behind Tom Kitten. If he gains a start at Randwick, he’ll enjoy a 4.5kg weight pull on that rival.

“We’ve taken our time with him and he has just kept stepping up,” Ben Hayes said.

“He was really thrown in the deep end in the All-Star Mile…. you can just see those topliners are a little bit good for him at the moment but he is that kind of horse who will keep improving.

He has come out of the race in excellent order and he gets into a Doncaster with 51 kilos, and he’s got the same rating as Mr Brightside when he won it, so fingers crossed.”

If there’s a scratching, Rise At Dawn will start from barrier two and is tipped to take up a handy position early with his tactical speed.

“He has got that high natural cruising speed and with 51 kilos on his back in the ‘Donnie’ and a couple of good, hard runs, he will be a horse people forget and he’ll surprise, a bit like Brightside did.”

Lindsay Park has enjoyed recent Doncaster success, courtesy of Mr Brightside’s victories in 2022 and 2023. Now, Chris Waller is hoping to match the all-time record of seven Doncaster wins by a trainer, currently held by T J Smith and Gai Waterhouse.

Waller’s 2024 team includes five runners, among them U.S. imports Moira and Anisette. Moira is a Breeders Cup Fillies and Mares Turf winner, while Anisette was a dual Oaks champion in America.

“She (Moira) is a talented horse. I think she will be better in the spring but she is definitely going to have a run in the autumn and the Doncaster is the right race for her,” Waller said.

“(Anisette) is not as good as Moira but Moira has come to Australia with more condition. They have both put on good weight but Anisette looks the better of the two in terms of how she has done since she has been here.”