Hey Doc laid down the gauntlet to his Memsie Stakes rivals with an impressive win in Saturday’s Group 3 $150,000 Aurie’s Star Handicap (1200m) at Flemington.
The Australian Guineas winner showed his class by carrying the top weight of 59kg to a narrow victory under the guidance of Luke Currie, defeating the Lindsay Park-trained pair of Cannyescent and Grande Rosso.
Trainer Tony McEvoy said the four-year-old would now head to the Group 1 Memsie Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield in three weeks.
“Luke was magnificent on him, he couldn’t get cover so he didn’t fight him and when the fight came Hey Doc was in for the fight. He lifted with his big weight and showed that he was a class horse,” McEvoy said.
“He did a really good job today and this will turn his coat and really bring him on in leaps and bounds and we’re right on track to head to that weight-for-age Group 1 in two weeks (Memsie Stakes).
“The Memsie will decide (the horse’s future). If he’s really effective at weight-for-age then we can look at the Makybe Diva at Flemington, it’s over the mile (1600m) at Flemington which is where he had his biggest win (Australian Guineas).
“Or we could freshen and go to the Rupert Clarke, there are so many options for a horse like him and I’m just really excited to have him back.”
Group 1 winning mare I Am A Star lost no admirers finishing fourth, with a significant gap back to Snitzson in fifth.
