Vega Magic Outstanding in NZB Memsie Stakes

Defending champion Black Heart Bart (Blackfriars) had to settle for second this time around as Vega Magic (Lope De Vega) delivered a block-buster performance to lead all the way and win Saturday’s A$1 million Group 1 New Zealand Bloodstock Memsie Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield.

Ridden by Craig Williams for trainers David and Ben Hayes and Tom Dabernig, the five-year-old Vega Magic went straight to the front of the star-studded field and never looked back. He defied the pattern of the day to score by a length and three-quarters in the first Group 1 race of the 2017-18 Australian racing season.

"I was very worried with the way the wind was going today and no horses were leading and winning," David Hayes said. "But he dominated that race. He's got special qualities.

“Wherever he goes from here, he’ll be competitive. He could be a logical horse for the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes, maybe, or the Everest. And I’m thinking the Everest – it’s A$10 million up there.”

The five-year-old Vega Magic, formerly of Western Australia, has now had 17 starts for 12 wins and more than A$2 million in prize-money. This was his second Group 1 win, having previously won the Goodwood (1200m) in Adelaide.

The Memsie Stakes was the second of four races in the 2017 New Zealand Bloodstock Caulfield Spring WFA Championship. Vega Magic picked up 10 points for his Memsie Stakes win, putting him in equal second place on the table alongside the PB Lawrence Stakes winner Hartnell (Authorized).

The lead now belongs to Black Heart Bart, who has earned 14 points from his third in the PB Lawrence Stakes and second in the Memsie. Black Heart Bart won the 2016 New Zealand Bloodstock Caulfield Spring WFA Championship with a final tally of 28 points.

The Series continues with the A$750,000 Group 1 Hyland Race Colours Underwood Stakes (1800m) on October 1, before concluding with the A$1 million Group 1 Ladbrokes Caulfield Stakes (2000m) on October 14.