Evaporate (+220) has returned to Australia in fine style to take out the Group 3 Carbine Club Stakes on the opening day of The Championships at Randwick.
Following a runner-up finish in the $3.5 million NZB Kiwi at Ellerslie last start, Blake Shinn took luck out of the equation on the Ben, Will & JD Hayes-trained gelding, settling behind a tearaway leader before taking over late to sprint clear of his rivals.
Shagri La Spring (+800) took off early in the lead, with Tim Clark giving the colt plenty of rein, which allowed Shinn to settle in his slipstream a couple of lengths back, while the race favourite with Dabble, Swiftfalcon (-117.65), settled second last.
The leader started to come back to the rest of the field, and even though he was under a stranglehold, Evaporate took over quickly and went for home, entering the straight.
Shinn shook up the leader, and he booted clear from Shangri La Spring, with the only danger being Swiftfalcon, who was rattling home down the outside with a slashing run.
However, no one was running down Evaporate, as he kept going to claim a 2.1-length win over Swiftfalcon and Depth Of Character (+2500).
Ben Hayes was on course to speak about the win.
“He’s a horse that we’ve always had a high opinion of. He ran in a Cox Plate, he ran third in a Caulfield Guineas, and this prep he hadn’t had much luck,” Hayes said.
“His first three runs he had excuses. He got caught three-wide in the weight-for-age Group One and over in The Kiwi we were a little bit unlucky, we got shuffled back, where today in a smaller field Blake was able to get him into a great rhythm.
“He just gave Swiftfalcon too much to do and he was strong to the line.
“But he was carrying the two extra kilos and he won quite convincingly, so we’re thrilled.
“I’m thrilled for the whole team. Will and JD, they’ll be very happy in Melbourne.
“He’s going into his four-year-old year and there’s a really nice race in Sydney called the Golden Eagle.
“If we could get him to a race like that, we haven’t mapped out a path or anything, or I haven’t spoken to my brothers, but that would be a Grand Final kind of race to get to, and he’s done a great job this prep.
“He’s travelled to New Zealand, travelled back, and he’s just thrived. He looks to have pulled up fantastic.”
Blake Shinn was quick to mention that he owed the stable a win after his ride in the NZB Kiwi last start.
“He felt amazing. This is a really good horse. He’s proven that he’s on the cusp of Group One level,” Shinn said.
“I think he is a Group One horse in the making. He ran great in The Kiwi. I said to the guys before the race, I owe them one after that race, and he came here today in really good order.
“We had to come up against Swiftfalcon who is a really good horse and give him weight, but I thought we had a tactical advantage on the map and that proved to be the case. He was too good.
“He’s a really good horse. And he was able to get into a nice rhythm.
“He’s not the most simple horse to ride, he’s a bit of a bold goer.
“He’s mixed it with the best horses in our land and been competitive, and probably a step back in class a little bit today and it was just great to get the ride and win in these colours.”
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