By Daithi Harvey
Dual Group 1 winner Vega Magic (Aus) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) will miss the early part of the Sydney/Melbourne autumn season as he continues to recover from a paddock incident that required significant veterinary attention. The gelding took fright during a storm and ran into a fence as co-trainer David Hayes explained; “It was a nasty cut that required 40 stitches. There were no problems with tendons or anything. Infection was the risk, so we've taken no chances with him,” Hayes told Racing And Sports. Vega Magic began 2017 in fine style when he bagged the G1 Darley Goodwood at Morphettville in May on his first start for the Lindsay Park team of David and Ben Hayes and Tom Dabernig. The 5-year-old doubled his top level tally when he won the G1 New Zealand Bloodstock Memsie S. at Caulfield in September before running second to Redzel (Aus) (Snitzel {Aus}) in the inaugural running of The Everest in October. He signed off the year with a below par effort in the G1 Darley Classic and connections will now have to be patient before seeing Vega Magic back in competitive action in 2018. “He'll probably be back to defend his Goodwood win in May. He won't run in the Newmarket [in March], we haven't got time,” Hayes added.
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