Following horses trained by David Hayes does not guarantee you a $15 million bonanza, but most punters recently have been ending up on the right side of the ledger by following the Australian.
One lucky punter did snare that huge payout by pinning Hayes' horses in a quinella roll-up on Sunday and he probably won't be worrying too much about racing on the dirt tonight at Sha Tin. But for the rest of us still seeking a little financial aid from the sport of kings, Hayes can certainly be of assistance in an interesting fourth event for Class Two horses over 1,650 metres. Hayes has put the blinkers on Take Charge for the first time and the horse has been absolutely flying in his work, suggesting that he will take all the beating on the all-weather surface. He went under by a neck to Pilot Win at his last start over this distance on the grass and that form is solid.
But it is the manner in which Take Charge has been going about his work in the interim which has really caught the eye. The English-bred five-year-old has been working keenly and with a renewed zip.
Hayes has been in tremendous form recently and is obviously a chance to win the coveted trainers' championship. Stable jockey Damien Oliver has also been slotting home the winners and Take Charge represents another real chance for the duo to strike.
The outside draw of 14 is, of course, no drawback on dirt but it is not a surface on which to get behind. With his natural pace, Take Charge will be a lot closer to the front than the back when they settle and that is vital. It is the best race on the card and there will be solid support for the Tony Cruz-trained Amza Glory, who will be ridden tonight by claimer Stanley K. M. Chin. Amza Glory ran a blinder last time under Mick Kinane to finish second to bolter Thunder Bolt and has an excellent record on dirt which suggests he could give the selection most to do. Cruz has kept him to the mark since his last effort and he will strip a very fit conveyance.
The key to it will be the all-weather surface as he has won on it before and the distance of a mile should suit. Previous efforts have tended to be over shorter trips, but at this stage of his career the mile should not be against him.
