Hard Kick's comeback planned by Lindsay Park

The Lindsay Park training operation is looking towards the future with their impressive young horse Hard Kick, who is set to make his return at Flemington.

After a victorious debut in the Listed Talindert Stakes (1100m) at Flemington in February, Hard Kick will resume his racing career in the TAB We're On (1000m) at Flemington on Saturday.

Lindsay Park's trainers, Ben, Will, and J D Hayes, in consultation with their father David Hayes, the primary owner of Hard Kick, decided against entering the two-year-old in the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) the week following his commanding Flemington win.

The horse that finished second, Zambales, went on to achieve fourth place in the Blue Diamond and later secured second in the VRC Sires' Produce Stakes (1400m) before heading to Sydney for further racing.

Will Hayes shared that the decision to forgo the Blue Diamond was challenging at the time, but the team is pleased with how Hard Kick has progressed since his last race.

"He's like an 18-year-old growing into a 20-year-old's body," Hayes said.

"He has naturally built strength and developed, and he is now ready for his three-year-old campaign. We weren't completely comfortable with the quick turnaround for a two-year-old, and as a result, he has developed into a fantastic prospect, which was our main priority."

"This was a team decision, and it's always easier when the principal owner is David Hayes himself. It was an internal discussion, and we followed our procedures, receiving excellent advice from Dr. David McKellar, a remarkable vet at Lindsay Park."

This 1000m race, a relatively recent addition to the Flemington race calendar, has previously been won by notable horses like Giga Kick (2022), First Settler (2024), and Shining Smile last year.

Giga Kick went on to win The Everest in Sydney after two more victories, while First Settler finished second in the Poseidon Stakes down the Flemington straight before winning the Danehill Stakes.

Hayes indicated that Cruiserweight's recent victory at Caulfield last Saturday has given the team added confidence for Hard Kick's return, especially since the colt had a jump-out win over Cruiserweight at Werribee on July 3.

He mentioned that the plan for Saturday's race was to give Hard Kick a competitive outing before the start of the early season three-year-old races.

Hayes confirmed that the Group 3 Vain Stakes (1100m) on August 15 and the Group 3 H D F McNeil Stakes (1200m), both held at Caulfield two weeks later, are the anticipated next steps for Hard Kick.

"We're going to have a run under our belt, which was our intention, as he did have a nice, long break," Hayes said.

"The Vain, the McNeil, will all be races considered going forward, but we think he's come up super and his trial form has been franked by Cruiserweight coming out and winning dominantly."

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