RISE At Dawn gets his best opportunity to break an almost year-long drought when he steps out in the G3 MRC Foundation Cup (1600m) at Caulfield on Saturday.
The talented Rise At Dawn hasn’t won since he scored at Flemington over 1400m on February 15.
In his subsequent nine starts since Rise At Dawn has competed at the top level and has run some great races, highlighted by his fourth in the 2025 Doncaster Mile.
Last spring, he had five starts for two seconds, a third, a fourth and a fifth in top company.
At his last ru,n he finished fifth in the $2 million The Ingham behind Yorkshire, where he tried to lead throughout over 1600m at Randwick at G2 level.
In his five runs during spring and including The Ingham in December, the furthest he was from the winner was 2.5 lengths.
Co-trainer JD Hayes said on SEN’S Giddy Up that the Caulfield race was the easiest Rise At Dawn had faced for some time.
He was upbeat about the chances of the five-year-old gelding, who has won eight of his 22 starts.
“I think he’s ready to win,” he said of the $3.40 favourite with Unibet.
“He’s very good off a freshen up and he has very good residual fitness. He’s had a good hard trial and I think this is a bit easier than what he is has been taking on,” he said.
Rise At Dawn will be ridden by Jamie Melham and from barrier two, she will have the option of either leading or taking a sit behind the expected front runner, Regal Zeus.
The Hayes brothers will also be represented by two-year-old colt Eurocanto in the Blue Diamond Prelude, who won the Maribyrnong Trial impressively at his only race start.
Eurocanto had to go back to the barrier trials after he was scratched from the Blue Diamond Preview due to playing up in the barriers.
Hayes said he had trialled well since against older horses and what transpired at the barrier in the Blue Diamond Preview was uncharacteristic for the colt.
“He did everything correctly against the older horses in his barrier trial and they ran a fast time.
We’re a run behind, but with a good, hard trial under his belt, that should compensate,” he said.
Eurocanto is $8 with Unibet for the Blue Diamond Prelude for the boys.
Hayes said the stable’s two debutantes in the Blue Diamond Prelude for fillies, Medicinal ($16 into $8) and Portinari ($15), had both displayed ability in their trials and had each-way chances.
They decided to take their other two-year-old filly, Jacaranda to Sydney for the Inglis Millennium and JD Hayes labelled her the stable’s best chance for the weekend.
