THE former Perth galloper Vega Magic, having his first start for David Hayes since transferring from Sean Casey, has won the Group 1 Darley Goodwood at Morphettville after a five month lay-off.

Tackling a field of 20 in the $1 million 1,200-metre sprint, Craig Williams got the son of Ballylinch Stud’s Lope De Vega smartly out of the gates to sit outside the leader before withstanding the back markers to win by three-quarters of a length from the Fastnet Rock filly Missrock and the Any Given Saturday gelding Casino Wizard.

“He did one gallop up our hill at Lindsay Park which had to be seen to be believed,” enthused Hayes, who likened Vega Magic to Redkirk Warrior who won the Newmarket first-up for Hayes in March.

“We’re going to give him a bit of a freshen-up and then have him back into stable up and firing by September,” said Hayes.

“I think he’d be an ideal horse for The Everest and there might be someone out there with a ticket that might want to share with us. It’s a good mountain to climb.”

The Everest is scheduled for Randwick on Saturday October 14th with the Australian Turf Club announcing at the end of March that all 12 ‘slots’ for the A$10 million 1,200-metre sprint had been sold.

To ensure entry, ‘investors’ needed to fork out $3 million for a ‘slot’ that is valid for three years with the slots transferable, meaning they can be on-sold by purchasers, or leased.

In this age of disruptive trends, the Everest is being run on Caulfield Guineas Day and threatens to further erode the status of the once premier classic on the Australian calendar which, in recent years has witnessed the rise in the ‘stallion making’ stakes of the 1,200-metre Coolmore Stud Stakes (registered as Ascot Vale Stakes) on Victoria Derby Day. Since 2010, the Coolmore has been won by future stallions Star Witness, Sepoy, Zoustar, Brazen Beau and Flying Artie.

By contrast, the Caulfield Guineas has thrown up Anacheeva, Helmet, All Too Hard, Shooting To Win, Press Statement and Divine Prophet.