Pakenham Cup 2019: Creedence revival has Lindsay Park team aiming for the Adelaide Cup

Emerging Lindsay Park stayer Creedence could be headed towards next year’s Adelaide Cup if the five-year-old can make an impact in the $300,000 Pakenham Cup.

Emerging Lindsay Park stayer Creedence could be headed towards next year’s Adelaide Cup if the five-year-old gelding can take out Saturday’s $300,000 Pakenham Cup (2500m).

Ben Hayes said the team had always had a good opinion of the horse, but are now hoping to raise the bar after the horse’s strong win over 2600m at Ballarat a fortnight ago.

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Creedence and Valac are the two Pakenham Cup runners for the Hayes, Hayes and Dabernig team, with Ben confident the former can measure up on Saturday before the stable sets their sights on even more ambitious targets.

“He is a horse we have always had a high opinion of, we think he is a nice stayer in the making,” Hayes told the Herald Sun.

“He is nice and fit now and comes off a very impressive win at Ballarat.

“This race could really launch him and he could be an Adelaide Cup horse later on.”

The Adelaide Cup (3200m) will be run on March 9 next year, with Hayes saying a strong performance on Saturday could see him head in that direction.

Progressive type Creedence (left) wins on Ballarat Cup Day. Picture: Getty Images

Creedence has won four of his 25 career starts, with his last victory at Ballarat underlying his potential as he stormed to the line late.

Prior to that, he ran a slashing second at Flemington to highly-rated Chris Waller import Shared Ambition.

“That (form) reads really well, and he came out of that and won at Ballarat,” Hayes said. “He is in form and he is a fit ad happy horse.”

Creedence is rated a $6.50 chance in the Pakenham Cup. Tony and Calvin McEvoy’s Secret Blaze is the $2.60 favourite.

Hayes conceded the stable’s other hope Valac ($16) needed a cushy run in front to be a winning chance in the race.

“He will roll forward and if he gets left alone, he is a chance up,” he said. “But when he is up in grade, he tends to be taken on and that probably doesn’t suit him.

“We’ve kept him fresh, his work has been enthusiastic and he is a good each way chance.”

The Lindsay Park team now has a firm footprint on Pakenham, having opened a small stable there with 38 boxes to complement their other operations at Euroa and Flemington.

“We’re almost locals there now,” Hayes said with a laugh. “It would be a big thrill for the stable if we were able to win it.”

Trainer Ben Hayes says the Lindsay Park operation has high hopes with Credeence.

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SUNLIGHT SIDELINED

Super mare Sunlight’s autumn campaign will be ­delayed because of a paddock ­accident.

But trainer Tony McEvoy is thanking his lucky stars the ­injury wasn’t as serious as it might have been.

Sunlight, a winner of 11 starts and more than $6.5 million in prizemoney, is likely to have surgery next week after chipping a splint bone.

But McEvoy hopes she can still feature at the middle to end of the autumn.

Sunlight was due to return in the Black Caviar Lightning at Flemington on February 15, but will now be sidelined for a few extra weeks.

McEvoy said he was confident the setback wouldn’t have a detrimental impact on his stable star’s autumn.

Sunlight was sharing a paddock with her full sister, Sisstar, when the accident occurred.

Little has gone wrong for Sunlight since her 2017 debut third in the Maribyrnong Plate.

The 2018 Magic Millions winner has become one of Australia’s best sprinters, winning this year’s Newmarket Handicap and William Reid Stakes.

Originally published as Pakenham Cup 2019: Creedence revival has Lindsay Park team aiming for the Adelaide Cup