Sepals delivered a statement win in the Group 3 CS Hayes Stakes at Flemington on Saturday, February 15, announcing himself as a serious contender for the Australian Guineas.
Trained by Cliff Brown and ridden by Blake Shinn, the three-year-old gelding by Calyx produced an explosive turn of foot to surge clear for an emphatic victory over Ndola and Feroce.
Jumping from barrier one, Sepals settled comfortably behind the leaders as Stay Focused set a solid pace upfront, closely followed by Gold Rush Guru.
As the field approached the 300-metre mark, Sepals found clear running and quickened impressively, putting two lengths on his rivals with ease.
Ndola, who had been positioned towards the rear, closed well for second, while Feroce made a strong seasonal return to grab third.
Blake Shinn, full of praise for the gelding’s ability winning at , described the win as dominant.
“It was a dominant win. Yes.
“He obviously had a lovely draw in barrier one.
“He switched off beautifully, and, you know, everything was presented for him, but he had to capitalise on such an impressive win.
“Yeah, just wrapped for Cliff, his whole team, Tony, Carla, and Harvey.
“So, yeah, I’m just wrapped.” Shinn commented post-race.
Stable representative Tony Lane was equally optimistic about Sepals’ potential.
“We were pretty confident coming in.
“The horse has done nothing wrong, so we thought we’d throw him in the deep end and see if he could swim – and he definitely swam.”
Lane also spoke about the track conditions and Sepals’ adaptability.
“With the track downgrades, we weren’t sure how he’d handle it, but you don’t know until you try.
“He’s been progressing well over the last few months, and he’s still on the up.”
Discussing Sepals’ future, Lane confirmed aspirations for the Australian Guineas.
“He’s always shown a lot of ability at home, and with a performance like that, the Guineas is definitely on the radar.
“His dam, What’s New, was a high-class mare in Singapore, so it’s great to see him following in those footsteps.”
With this victory, Sepals now boasts a career record of five starts for four wins, amassing $293,590 in prize money.
His rapid progression and proven ability over 1400m make him a key contender for the Group 1 Australian Guineas in a few weeks’ time as a $8 second favourite with the top Australian bookmakers.
Sepals’ emphatic CS Hayes Stakes victory sets him up for an exciting campaign ahead, and all eyes will be on his potential with the chance of securing the CS Hayes / Australian Guineas double.
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