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While Redkirk Warrior is on the other side of the world recovering from his unplaced run at Royal Ascot, another of Lindsay Park’s open-age sprinters is building up for the spring.
Vega Magic has only raced once this year when he failed in his defence of the Group One Goodwood in Adelaide last month, after which the gelding was given a few weeks rest at Lindsay Park’s Euroa base.
Co-trainer Tom Dabernig said the dual Group One winner was on target to run in next month’s weight-for-age Group Three Bletchingly Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield.
“The plan is to run him on the 28th of July in the Bletchingly,” Dabernig said.
“Then we’ll probably go to the Memsie again and Everest hopefully.
“He’s undefeated at Caulfield and we just thought we’ll give him nice breaks in between runs.”
The former West Australian sprinter won the 2017 Goodwood at Morphettville in his first start for Lindsay Park then resumed in August last year with a win in the Listed Regal Roller Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield.
He claimed his second Group One win in the $1 million Memsie Stakes (1400m) last September at Caulfield before a game second in the inaugural Everest (1200m) at Randwick six weeks later.
Vega Magic was unplaced in his final two spring starts and later required stitches in a leg after a paddock accident.
Dabernig is happy to forgive the gelding his midfield finish under top weight in the last month’s Goodwood on a soft track.
“We gave him three weeks complete paddock rest after The Goodwood and then he’s been going in the paddock during the day but he’s back doing a little bit of fast work this week,” he said.
“He won’t need a big showy trial but he’ll just cruise into the Bletchingly and use the race to bring him on.”
Dabernig believes Vega Magic can be a force to be reckoned with again in the $13 million Everest if he secures a slot.
“I think he’s the right horse for it and I think we saw that last year,” he said.
“His last couple of runs haven’t quite been what we know he can do but certainly we haven’t lost any faith.
“He’s a really good horse. A top horse.”