Trainer Tom Dabernig confirmed that Thousand Guineas winner Stay With Me and Hong Kong import Dibayani have both returned to light track work ahead of the Autumn Racing Carnival.
Stay With Me could start her autumn campaign in the Manfred Stakes. Photo by: Ultimate Racing Photos
Stay With Me started her autumn campaign with a dominant four and a half lengths victory in the APM Group Handicap (1200m) at Pakenham on August 20 and she stamped herself as a leading Thousand Guineas contender with an impressive performance in the Listed Atlantic Jewel Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley on September 5.
The Street Cry filly did not have a great deal of luck in the Group 2 Thousand Guineas Prelude (1400m) at Caulfield on September 26, but she showed her brilliant best with a most impressive win in the Group 1 Thousand Guineas (1600m) at the same venue a fortnight later.
Stay With Me was sent to the spelling paddock following her luckless sixth in the Group 1 Myer Classic (1600m) at Flemington on October 31, but Dabernig confirmed that she had now returned to track work and has been set for the Group 1 Royal Randwick Guineas (1600m).
“She had a nice spell and she has put on really good condition,” Dabernig said.
“She is just in the early part of her preparation, but she might kick-off in something like the Manfred into The Vanity en route to going to Sydney, but it is a bit early to lock in those first couple of runs.”
Dibayani joined the Lindsay Park team after being competitive at the highest level of racing in Hong Kong and he performed well in both the Group 2 P.B. Lawrence Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on August 15 and the Group 2 Dato’ Tan Chin Nam Stakes (1600m) at Moonee Valley on September 5, but he was unable to reproduce that form in the Group 1 Underwood Stakes (1800m) at Caulfield on September 26 and the Group 3 David Jones Cup (2000m) at the same venue on October 17.
Dabernig said that Dibayani took plenty of benefit from his stint in the spelling paddock and he is hopeful that a return to the Sydney way of going will help the Shamardal gelding perform at his very best.
“His early runs here were good and then he trained off on us,” Dabernig said.
“He has never been comfortable on the Melbourne leg, so he is back in work and I think that he will be suited to Sydney in the autumn back on his Hong Kong and Sydney leg.
“We will just see how he is coming up, but I think he has a nice race in him and he will get his confidence back.”
The Lindsay Park team had an outstanding 2015 Spring Racing Carnival and they took out the Ladbrokes Caulfield Stakes with Criterion as well as the Thousand Guineas with Stay With Me.
