Lindsay Park will have two chances at registering back-to-back wins in the Golden Mile at Bendigo.
Ben, Will and J D Hayes will saddle imported gallopers Makram and The Summit in the Listed 1600m contest on Saturday.
Last year the stable won the race with Here To Shock when only Ben and J D were at the helm of the stable with that galloper scoring again at Group 3 level last Saturday in the Victoria Handicap (1400m) at Caulfield.
Both Makram and The Summit have the credentials to take out the Golden Mile on Saturday and will appreciate the wide, open spaces of Bendigo.
Since arriving from the UK, Makram is a three-time winner in Australia, all at Flemington, and was regarded by Lindsay Park as a Melbourne Cup contender in 2022.
But the gelding was ruled out and required surgery to insert screws into a fetlock joint and in 2023 he failed to recapture his form.
However, Makram started 2024 with a bang, landing the Listed Elms Handicap (1400m) first-up at Flemington at $151 before running an unlucky fourth in the Group 2 Blamey Stakes (1600m) at his most recent outing.
Will Hayes said Makram suffered a minor foot problem after the Blamey in early March which ruled him out of the All-Star Mile two weeks later.
“Unfortunately, he pulled-up after the Blamey with a bit of a foot which took a while to get over, so we thought we would bide our time with him,” Hayes said.
“He’s going to have a lot of racing ahead of him, so we weren’t in any rush.
“He had a tick over jump-out on Friday and came through it in good order, so we’re happy.”
A former French galloper that made his way to Australia via Hong Kong, The Summit won at Moonee Valley last July before his form fell away later in the spring.
The Summit resumed with a fast closing second in the Anniversary Vase at Caulfield on March 16, splitting First Immortal and Nugget, with the latter finishing fourth in last week’s Doncaster Mile.
Hayes said The Summit could not have been more impressive first-up.
“Another couple of strides he probably gets First Immortal first-up,” Hayes said.
“He couldn’t have been more impressive, and he’s freshened up nicely and we think he’s going to run a race.
“The big track at Bendigo should suit both of them and at this time of year we should get some nice cut in the ground as well.”