SATURDAY night’s Mildura Cup winner Hectorjayjay will not be aimed at the Group 1 Len Smith Mile at Tabcorp Park Menangle on Sunday June 26. Trainer David Aiken believes it is in the five-year-old gelding’s best interest to be kept away from stablemate Lennytheshark this season but expects Hectorjayjay to progress to Grand Circuit level next season.
The son of Dream Away has won both of his starts since joining the Aiken stable and was dominant in his most recent victory.
“Hectorjayjay is a very talented horse and I don’t really want to overtax him at this stage of his career so I’m going to look at the 4YO & 5YO Championship at Melton next month before getting him ready for a trip to Perth for the Inter Dominion,” Aiken said.
“I didn’t ask too much of Lennytheshark during his five-year-old season and I think it really helps them develop into better horses at six. I’m pretty keen to keep Hectorjayjay and Lennytheshark apart for the time being as well.”
Hectorjayjay has been driven by Gavin Lang in both of his starts for the Aiken stable.
“I think Gavin is going to help make the horse, his patience will teach the horse how to race against the best ones.
“He is an exciting prospect and what I was most happy about after Saturday was that Gavin said he handled the tighter track very well and that is important if he does make it to Gloucester Park for the Inter Dominion.”
Aiken confirmed Lennytheshark is on target to compete in the Len Smith Mile and has been back working in the water-walker.
“He’s been back at the water-walker for a fortnight so he’ll return in pretty good condition. Ideally I’d like him to have two or three runs under his belt before going towards the Len Smith Mile.”
With ten boxes at the Menangle Training Centre, Aiken is keen to make a success of his new satellite stable but has no plans to relocate back to Sydney in the short-term.
“Obviously there are family ties in Sydney, my mother lives over on the Northern Beaches and I’ve got two sisters over that way as well but at the moment I’m happy with the set-up. I’m still working through how I’m going to staff everything but the beauty of these ten boxes in Sydney is that if there is a race at Menangle that suits I can transport horses between Victoria and NSW.
“Before getting the Menangle boxes I would have to speak with a Sydney trainer to see if they had room for me and it is a bit of an ask to be trying to get four or five stables off them. Plus if I want to make that group of four or five into a group of six I can.”
Aiken has already earmarked a Sydney trip for recent recruit Macha. The gelding was placed second in the WA Derby behind Alta Christiano in 2013 and is set to resume for his new stable.
“Macha will be best suited at Menangle and he’ll be doing a fair bit of racing in Sydney.”
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