Lad Offers Glimmer Of Light
Friday, 24 October 2008:  | | Largo Lad |
A few weeks ago, Guillotine, Zagreb and Kibbutz looked most likely to make up the Hayes Melbourne Cup trio.
Now, Guillotine is out of the spring and may be back late in the autumn, while Zagreb's foot abscess is yet to burst and every passing minute is another that needs to be caught up.
Last year's Victoria Derby winner Kibbutz, who had 2008 Cup written all over him 12 months ago, is also fast running out of time after also suffering a foot abscess.
Hayes will be lucky to have a runner in the Melbourne Cup, the most ominous sign coming from the stable's number one rider Craig Williams who is currently interviewing other candidates.
So Largo Lad gets the chance to provide a glimmer of hope as he steps up in journey in tomorrow's Moonee Valley Cup.
Largo Lad was a fast finishing fifth in the Group 1 Yalumba Stakes last start, coming off a fairly slow tempo, and earned himself perhaps a last ditch effort this weekend to show his true qualities.
He drops sharply in the weights under the set weights and penalties conditions and Hayes is confident, despite a wide gate, he can run well.
He was scratched from the Geelong Cup on Wednesday after drawing wide but a strong pace tomorrow should see him powering home.
It's not as bad at the Valley as at Geelong, Hayes said of the alley to Sport 927.
It looks a more truly run race and mightn't be as bad as it first looked.
I'd love to see him step up as it opens up so many options for us and I think he might. He's going very well.
Largo Lad is in the seventies in order of entry for the Melbourne Cup and hasn't even passed the first ballot clause.
A win would see him achieve that and an impressive win may lead to a re-handicap of his 50kg, but even then his chances of making the field are slim.
He is a $7.50 chance in tomorrow's race and currently a $101 chance in the Melbourne Cup.
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