News

Hayes predicts massive autumn for his Hero

20th Jan 2009

Sydney Morning Herald - By Andrew Eddy - Wednesday, January 21 2009

THE comebacks of group 1 champions El Segundo and Light Fantastic might grab the headlines before Friday night's Carlyon Stakes at Moonee Valley, but David Hayes expects another horse will be the talk of the town after the group 2 event.

Hayes announced yesterday he planned to use the 1200-metre sprint to kick off the 2009 campaign of three-year-old colt Von Costa De Hero, who does not yet share the profile of the other pair but is worth more than the combined value of both the geldings.

"I think he might be in for a very exciting autumn," Hayes said. "He had a pretty long and arduous autumn as a two-year-old and I think that may have affected his spring. I know he is going a lot better now than he did in the spring."

Von Costa De Hero has won only the one race - the group 2 VRC Sires' Produce Stakes at Flemington - but has been prominent in most of the country's best group 1 races. Last year, the colt missed by a matter of centimetres when runner-up in the Golden Slipper Stakes and then was also placed third in the other stallion-making race, the Caulfield Guineas last spring.

The Encosta De Lago colt was last year valued at about $10 million after a half share was sold to Sheikh Mohammed's Darley Australia operation and he is one group 1 win away from realising that value. Victory in the group 2 $180,000 race on Friday night might not swell Von Costa De Hero's already sizeable value as a future stallion, but Hayes believes it can set a platform for a campaign that could turn the colt into a giant of the Australian breeding scene.

"If he shows he can sprint with them on Friday night, he'll be set for the group 1 sprints such as the Australia Stakes and Newmarket," Hayes said yesterday. "Otherwise, there is always the [Cadbury] Guineas if he is looking for further but I suspect sprinting may suit him best."

Von Costa De Hero is the third foal of group 1-winning mare Piavonic, whose CV not only boasts the Manikato Stakes win in 2001 over super mare Sunline and freak sprinter Falvelon, but also contains a win in the Carlyon Stakes earlier that year.

Meanwhile, jockey Michael Rodd will head to New Zealand on Sunday to ride the Murray Baker-trained The Heckler in the Karaka Millions. Brisbane trainer Liam Birchley will also start Sarge In Charge in the event