Seven runners chasing Blue Diamond Stakes start in Group 3 Chairman’s Stakes at Caulfield

The Lindsay Park operation will chase a seventh Chairman’s Stakes win with a colt by the same stallion as last year’s Blue Diamond Stakes winner, Little Brose.

Will Hayes, Ben Hayes and JD Hayes.

The Group 3 Chairman’s Stakes has bounced around the autumn calendar but the seven runners in this year’s edition of the Caulfield event have the chance to emulate some modern stars.

The Chairman’s Stakes was formerly known as the Veuve Clicquot but was run the Saturday before the Blue Diamond for several years.

The outstanding sprinter Redoute’s Choice won both races in 1999 for the late trainer Rick Hore-Lacy before going on to win another three Group 1 races.

John Salanitri repeated the effort with Road To Success a year later, winning both contests at $21 but failed to place again in his eight subsequent starts.

Extreme Choice won both the Chairman’s Stakes and Blue Diamond in 2016 with the races set at their current three-week gap.

Another 12 two-year-olds have tried and failed to complete the Chairman’s Stakes / Blue Diamond double with only one running a place.

Redoute’s Choice winning the old Veuve Clicquot Stakes at Caulfield.

However, the Chairman’s Stakes has been a springboard to brilliant careers for the beaten brigade with the likes of Cox Plate winner Shamus Award, triple Group 1 winner Yell and dual Group 1 winner Toorak Toff competing in the feature before developing into top-class performers.

First-starter Evaporate will be out to start Blue Diamond preparation by providing the Hayes family with a seventh win in the Chairman’s Stakes on Saturday.

Lindsay Park won its last Chairman’s Stakes in 2018 with Ennis Hill.

JD Hayes said Evaporate, a son of Kiwi stallion Per Incanto, would learn from his first trip to the races after improving to win a Flemington jumpout last Thursday.

"IT'S HAYES AGAIN!"

LITTLE BROSE WINS THE DIAMOND! @lindsayparkracepic.twitter.com/ivDxH3SH4e

— 7HorseRacing 🐎 (@7horseracing) February 25, 2023

“He’s a really big, strong horse and it would give him a lot of education to have a day at the races,” Hayes, who trains Evaporate in partnership with his brothers Ben and Will, said.

The training trio won last year’s Blue Diamond with Little Brose, another son of Per Incanto that fetched $200,000 as a yearling.

Evaporate cost the camp $330,000 last year but Hayes said buyers no longer underrated the stallion after producing a Blue Diamond winner.

“We love the Per Incantos,” Hayes said.

“I wouldn’t say he’s underrated any more because it was hard to buy one in New Zealand.

“They were going for very nice money.”

Michael Dee will ride Evaporate in the Chairman’s Stakes.

Evaporate is a $21 chance in TAB’s early market while the impressive debut winner Coleman has firmed from $3.30 to $2.80.

Originally published as Seven runners chasing Blue Diamond Stakes start in Group 3 Chairman’s Stakes at Caulfield