David Hayes is confident Stokehouse can live up to his impressive win at Flemington on Oaks day in Saturday's slightly shorter Group Two Sandown Guineas.The Anabaa gelding led throughout in the Myer Spring Fashion Stakes (1800m) to win by 3-1/4 lengths from Boys Will Be Boys and has drawn nicely in barrier one in Saturday's 1600m Guineas."He was really good at Flemington, whether it was a leader bias or not. He's pulled up very well and he's probably the soundest horse in the stable at the momen
David Hayes is confident Stokehouse can live up to his impressive win at Flemington on Oaks day in Saturday's slightly shorter Group Two Sandown Guineas.
The Anabaa gelding led throughout in the Myer Spring Fashion Stakes (1800m) to win by 3-1/4 lengths from Boys Will Be Boys and has drawn nicely in barrier one in Saturday's 1600m Guineas.
"He was really good at Flemington, whether it was a leader bias or not. He's pulled up very well and he's probably the soundest horse in the stable at the moment," Hayes said.
"We're pretty confident he'll run well again and he's licked the bin."
The Myer Spring Fashion Stakes has been a good guide to the Guineas over the past 20 years with Ascot Lane (1987), Durbridge (1990), Peep On The Sly (1995), Scenic Warrior (2000) and Pay Keys (2003) all completing the double.
Hayes, who won the Guineas with the filly Cayambe in 2005, will also start Dual Hemisphere on Saturday.
The Danehill Dancer colt looks safely held on his seventh, beaten 12 lengths, to Whobegotyou in the AAMI Vase (2040m) at Moonee Valley on Cox Plate day.
But Hayes is willing to give Dual Hemisphere another chance.
"It was only two starts back that he beat the Derby winner," Hayes said, referring to the Leon Macdonald-trained Rebel Raider who won the Victoria Derby at 100-1, beating Whobegotyou by 2-1/2 lengths.
Rebel Raider had run fifth, six lengths behind the winner Dual Hemisphere, in the Hill Smith Stakes (1800m) at Cheltenham on October 11 but did get blocked for a run in that event.
Raced by his breeder Gary Lechte and his family, Dual Hemisphere is the only stakeswinner out of the Pompeii Court mare Clever Zoe who was runner-up to Schillaci in the 1993 Group One VRC Lightning Stakes (1000m) as a two-year-old.
Earlier that season Clever Zoe had won the Debutante Stakes (900m) by nine lengths on a heavy track at Caulfield.
Craig Williams stays with Stokehouse on Saturday, while Vlad Duric goes on to Dual Hemisphere replacing Paul Gatt.
The Danny O'Brien-trained Lucky Thunder will be trying to emulate Schilling who won last year's Guineas after finishing runner-up in the Carbine Club Stakes (1600m) at his previous outing at Flemington on Derby Day.
Lucky Thunder ran on strongly to go down by a half-neck to Dr Doute's in the Group Three Carbine Club.
The Peter Snowden-trained Caymans also comes through that race having finished a 2-3/4 length fourth after hanging out badly.
The Secret Savings gelding will race with a tongue tie on Saturday.
Other chances in the race are the John Collins-trained Arjuna, who was runner-up to Drumbeats in the Hilton International Stakes (1400m) at Flemington last Saturday, and the Robert Smerdon-trained filly Marveen who won the Lexus Stakes (1400m) on Melbourne Cup day.