David Hayes is thrilled with the progression Jet Away is making from the tendon injury that ended a forgettable 2013 Spring Racing Carnival.
The quality import suffered a tendon injury when unplaced in the Group 1 Mackinnon Stakes on Derby Day, which followed a luckless fourth placing in the Caulfield Cup.
The rising eight-year-old has completed “a couple of months” worth of a rehabilitation campaign and is now back working under rider at Hayes’ Lindsay Park base at Euroa and the Hall of Fame horseman is pleased with his progression.
“He’s been doing rehab, but he’s got the all clear to do normal training, so now we start training him normally,” Hayes said.
“He’s going well and is being trained for the spring.”
Jet Away finished sixth, beaten 4-3/4 lengths, behind Side Glance at the $3 favourite in the Mackinnon Stakes (2000m) on 2 November.
Two weeks earlier he turned in a remarkable performance to hold on for fourth – beaten less than two lengths – when wide throughout after overracing in the Caulfield Cup (2400m).
The Caulfield Cup was just Jet Away’s second run of his second Australian preparation, which was plagued by minor issues, and he is desperate to get a more extensive campaign into the son of Cape Cross in the lead up to this year’s Caulfield Cup, now worth $3 million.
“Hopefully he’ll be able to get some lead up races and he won’t overrace and run the most unlucky fourth in the history of racing,” he said.
“He’ll probably be running in one of the early weight-for-age races of the spring, that’s the plan, the Memsie or the Liston (Lawrence Stakes), and then he’ll head towards the Caulfield Cup.”
The $400,000 Group 1 Memsie Stakes (1400m) is at Caulfield on 30 August, two weeks after the Group 2 Lawrence Stakes (1400m), which will this year be run for a record stake of $400,000.
Hayes also has spring plans with another import owned in similar interests to Jet Away, Dansili five-year-old Stipulate, but he is still spelling and is being prepared for a September return.
– Racing Victoria
