Apulia carries Lindsay Park hopes into Australian Cup
Apulia represents Lindsay Park's bid to build on their strong legacy in the Australian Cup during the 2000m showdown set for Saturday.
Previous winning connections include Colin Hayes, David Hayes, Peter Hayes, Ben Hayes and Tom Dabernig for the Australian Cup, with Will and J D Hayes now eager to inscribe their names on Saturday.
Apulia, saddled by Ben, Will and J D Hayes, enters the Group 1 race poised for a potential shock result.
Past Australian Cup fields have seen outsiders prevail, such as Dandy Andy (1988), Roman Arch ($51, 2006), and Harlem's consecutive victories in 2018 ($61) and 2019 ($31), contributing to Ben Hayes' first pair of his three race wins shared with David Hayes and Dabernig.
Set to start at $10 on Saturday – tighter than Harlem – Apulia benefits from a solid recent trend for double-figure chances in the Australian Cup.
According to Ben Hayes, Apulia is primed for Saturday's test, partnered again by William Pike, who secured back-to-back Perth successes for him in the summer campaign, highlighted by the Perth Cup (2400m) on New Year's Day.
Post-Perth, Apulia placed fifth to Birdman in Flemington's Blamey Stakes (1600m) last month, followed by a near-miss second to Birdman in Caulfield's Peter Young Stakes (1800m) on March 14.
The blinkers are reapplied to Apulia ahead of Saturday.
"He hasn't worn the headgear for a while, so we've put a set of blinkers on which may give us the extra couple of lengths that we need to catch Birdman," Hayes said.
"I thought we ran well behind him at Caulfield. He had the easier run than us, as we had to go wide.
"He's there to peak on Saturday. He loves Flemington and I think the 2000 metres is what he's looking for.
"I think 2400 is his best trip with his win in the Perth Cup, and he was dominant, but at 2000, he'll still be sharp enough and will be competitive.
"We're hopeful and I think he's a genuine top three chance in an Australian Cup, and it has been a good race to us over the years."
Tom Kitten lurks at $4.20 behind market leader Birdman ($3.70).
Explore online bookmakers offering strong Australian Cup options.
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