Flemington straight trial boosts Gin Twist to victory
Familiarity with the straight course has paid dividends, enabling Lindsay Park fillies to fill the top two positions at Flemington.
The quinella in Saturday's Listed TAB We're On (1000m) went to Gin Twist and La Gitana, both under the care of Ben, Will and J D Hayes, after they tackled an 800m jump-out on the Flemington straight February 20.
According to Ben Hayes, that trial experience made all the difference, as stable companion Jacaranda, sent off at $3.20 favourite, missed it and settled for fifth.
Gin Twist ($3.50), partnered by Luke Currie, prevailed by 1-¾ lengths against La Gitana ($5), while The Troubleshooter ($17) trailed by a further 2-¾ lengths for third.
"Two-year-olds are very hard," Hayes said.
"They either get it wrong, which we saw with Jacaranda, who dropped the bit early and didn't look comfortable, they don't know how to get into a rhythm, whereas the other two were professional, they jumped, got into a rhythm and gave good kicks.
"It's a bit of a guessing game when you're running them and I say that to the owners, they either handle it or they won't.
"We say don't worry about that as they will improve out of sight. Having a look and seeing how they handle it is very important."
The trainer mentioned facing expectations from Coolmore Australia boss Tom Magnier for a trifecta from his fillies.
With yearling sales underway, he desired the strong showing for Home Affairs, the sire of these three juveniles.
"We had a bit of pressure on us," Hayes said.
"Tom said to us, if we didn't get the trifecta with the Home Affairs fillies, we would be in trouble.
"Sorry Tom, we only got the quinella, hopefully that's OK.
"It was an impressive win. I got a bit worried as she got a bit hot in the mounting yard and got a bit worked up, but she jumped, she looked like she was comfortable the whole race and went to the line quite easily."
Hayes plans team talks to plot Gin Twist's path forward, keeping open the option of heading to Sydney for the Golden Slipper at Rosehill in the coming month.
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