Stutt Stakes success for Evaporate

[Wandering Eyes]

Smart three-year-old Evaporate (NZ) (Per Incanto) has maintained his rich-vein of form with a comfortable victory in the Gr.2 Stutt Stakes (1600m) at The Valley on Friday night.

Trainers Ben, Will and JD Hayes continue to build the confidence of the good looking son of Per Incanto, who has now won four races in succession.

After a winless two-year-old season, Evaporate bounced off a maiden victory at Cranbourne at the beginning of the season to win a pair of Saturday races at The Valley before taking the step up to stakes company in his stride at the inner city Melbourne venue.

After travelling comfortably throughout under Mick Dee, Evaporate was presented rounding the home bend and was an easy length victor from Henlein (Dundeel) who closed well for second.

Will Hayes said consideration would now be given to a tilt at the Gr.1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m) on October 12.

“I think you’d be mad not to think about it. That win had a lot of credit to it,” he said.

“It’s always difficult to build a picket fence, and that’s what he’s done. He’s got a good affinity with The Valley.

“It was predicted to be a bit of speed, and they didn’t go that quick, and for him to circle and get pushed out wide and then win quite dominantly – I think he’s just going from strength to strength.”

Hayes said the team have long had a good opinion of the gelding.

“He’s always showed us really nice ability. You’ll see that we have got the cross-over nose band on, so it’s just a matter of the penny dropping, and once we get that moment and he started racing more tractably, the rest is history.”

Winning jockey Michael Dee has a lot of time for the Kiwi-bred.

“He had a few goes as a two-year-old and he just wasn’t ready and he’s really coming to his own now,” he said.

“I say it every time I ride him, he improves each time.”

Evaporate has now had eight starts for four wins, two placings and A$395,625 in stakes.

He was bred by Little Avondale Stud, home to Per Incanto, a son of Street Cry who has sired seven Group One winners and 30 stakes winners to date.

The dam of Evaporate is the unraced Animal Kingdom mare Savanna, whose half-sister Belluci Babe has been a Group Three winner in Australia for Bjorn Baker in the Little Avondale colours. Both of Savanna’s two foals to race have been winners.

Evaporate was bought by Lindsay Park Racing for A$330,000 at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale in 2023.

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