Seaburge Set For 2017 Australian Guineas Aim

The Lindsay Park stable have the Australian Guineas 2017 on the agenda this March for dual Group 1 placegetter colt Seaburge.

Seaburge will target Flemington’s Australian Guineas 2017 this March during the Melbourne Autumn Racing Carnival. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.

A three-year-old son of Sebring, the David & Ben Hayes and Tom Dabernig-trained Seaburge had a shot at Melbourne Guineas glory during the spring.

He came devastatingly close finishing only a neck off the winner Divine Prophet in the Group 1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m) last October and has been placed in elite level company again since.

After the Guineas second the youngster finished eighth to Le Romain at Flemington in the Group 1 Cantala Stakes (1600m), but relished a step-up in distance during the Melbourne Cup Carnival.

Back at Flemington that November he was beaten under a length when runner-up behind Awesome Rock in the Group 1 Emirates Stakes (2000m) at weight-for-age.

Co-trainer Tom Dabernig is hoping the deserving galloper can break his Group 1 maiden status during the Melbourne Autumn Racing Carnival.

The team have the horse gearing up for a return and named the $750,000 Group 1 Australian Guineas (1600m) at Flemington Racecourse on March 4 as a major target.

Fellow co-trainer David Hayes has prepared three previous Australian Guineas winners in the past 30 years including the filly Miss Finland (2007).

The past two Australian Guineas champions came off a lead-up run in the $150,000 Group 3 CS Hayes Stakes (1400m) – named in honour of Hayes’ father Colin – with Wandjina (2015) completing the Flemington double and Palentino (2016) doing one better than his second.

The CS Hayes Stakes 2017 is scheduled for February 18 this season and is marked as the first-up run for Seaburge.

“He’s going to kick off in the CS Hayes,” Dabernig told AAP on Sunday.

“He’s come back and looks great.”

Seaburge hasn’t won since his Group 2 VRC Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) success at Flemington back in March last year at just his third career start.

His only other win so far was a successful debut over 1200m at Pakenham 12 months ago.

Dabernig also confirmed the 2017 CF Orr Stakes first-up for Group 1 winning stablemate He’s Our Rokkii who is three-from-four at the Caulfield track so far.

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