Kid ready to roll in the Sistema Railway Stakes 2026
With confidence high following last season’s New Zealand success, Ben Hayes is hoping Arkansaw Kid can deliver again when he lines up in Saturday’s Railway Stakes at Ellerslie.
The Group 1 sprint forms the opening leg of a trans-Tasman double for the five-year-old, similar to the path taken by Here To Shock when he struck gold last February.
Hayes said the horse had done everything right since arriving in New Zealand.
“He left after his trial last week and we are really happy with him,” Hayes said.
“It is full steam ahead.”
Arkansaw Kid comes into the race off a strong jump-out win at Flemington and a close-up third in the $1 million The Supernova at Pakenham.
The quality of that race has since been underlined, with several runners winning again.
“We had success last year and Arkansaw Kid, I think he is a very good group two horse in Australia who is competitive in group ones but always finds one better,” Hayes said.
“We thought it is a great opportunity to try and win a group one with him.
“With the set weights and penalties conditions, he gets in there quite nicely in the weights.
“He will then go on to the same race that Here To Shock won, then maybe the Canterbury Stakes in Sydney after that.”
Markets have already reacted to his presence, with punters able to find value through leading Australian betting sites.
Arkansaw Kid finished runner-up in the The Meteorite at Cranbourne on November 22, a race that also produced fellow Railway Stakes runner Jigsaw.
The post Kid ready to roll in Railway Stakes first appeared on Just Horse Racing.
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