Debut win for Marffiano in Bendigo's VOBIS Gold Rush
On Saturday, Lindsay Park extended their control over Bendigo's Golden Mile richest race as the Hayes brothers fielded the talented Marffiano to capture the VOBIS Gold Rush.
Marffiano, half-brother to Tycoon Star, sealed a Lindsay Park one-two by overcoming Resonant in the $250,000 two-year-old feature, which also includes $30,000 VOBIS bonuses.
Ben, Will and JD Hayes notched their third straight VOBIS Gold Rush triumph, succeeding Killiana from last year and Bold Bastille's victory in 2024.
A $475,000 purchase from last year's Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, Marffiano is by rising star sire Home Affairs, and Ben Hayes was excited to see the colt prove his potential at his first start.
"Just before the race we were saying how he's quite a laid-back customer – a bit like his older brother, he can be a bit lazy in trackwork sometimes as well – hence the winkers were on," Hayes said.
"He'll come out one morning and do his work well and then, next time, it'll feel like you'd never taught him do anything and he'll get it all completely wrong.
So, the owners have been through ups and downs through the whole preparation but to come out and win a big VOBIS race like this is just a big thrill and well done to the whole team."
Notwithstanding pre-race doubts from Hayes, the $9 chance Marffiano was model-like at Bendigo, benefiting from a clean break and trailing the frontrunners before seizing the front 150m from the finish and repelling Resonant ($19) by half a length.
The leader Running Rich ($11) kept plugging away to fill third place, 1-1/4 lengths further behind.
Jockey Declan Bates guided Marffiano on debut and appreciated the colt's demeanor.
"He made my life pretty easy, to be honest," Bates said.
"He was a real, gentleman. He done everything right – he began nice, the speed was nice, we were able to just camp off it and I just liked that the further we went in the race, the better he went underneath me."
In spite of the polished debut, Hayes noted that he and his brothers would probably hold off on further runs with Marffiano, choosing to rest him ahead of spring's three-year-old sprint riches.
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