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By Ray Hickson

Gitalong has already been a shrewd buy for his new owners without winning a race but co-trainer Will Hayes is quietly confident that breakthrough could come at Randwick on Saturday.

In just three starts, all seconds, for the Lindsay Park team the gelding has returned just under $60,000 – on his $20,000 online purchase price – and Hayes said there’s no reason he couldn’t go one better in the Asahi Super Dry Handicap (1000m).

The four-year-old was sold for $425,000 as a yearling and won three of his 14 starts for the Hawkes stable but he’s been winless since just before Christmas 2023 where he completed a hat-trick.

“The Mailbag do a really good job selecting their horses online and he’s a classic example of that,” Hayes said.

“From trackwork and trials as soon as he started working up the hill we knew we had a good one.

“Where we are located at Euroa we can target races across three states and the pick the most suitable.”

It’ll be a rematch for Gitalong, $4 with TAB on Friday, at Randwick with a 2.5kg weight swing on Storm The Ramparts who got the better of him late over the same track and distance two weeks ago.

Gitalong runs second at Randwick on June 7

On that occasion Nash Rawiller tracked around the middle of the track and the winner got up underneath him to score by about half a length.

Hayes said Rawiller should take benefit from the experience on the gelding and is confident it won’t take a lot extra going in his favour to snare that overdue win.

“It nearly came off the other day, it was a really good run and he’s not far off a win,’’ he said.

“He’s done nothing but please us since he’s been in our stable. It was a really good run first-up at the Valley and he’s really knocking on the door to win one.”

Meanwhile, plans for Stradbroke Handicap winner War Machine will hinge on whether his win in Queensland’s biggest handicap was enough to attract interest for a berth in the $20 million TAB Everest.

Hayes, whose father David is bringing the Everest favourite Ya King Rising down from Hong Kong for the race, said a start in Australia’s richest race appeals and he fits the profile of a horse who will be competitive.

“We’re going to let him enjoy two weeks in Queensland spelling,’’ he said.

“We’re weighing up options between setting a path toward the Everest if we’re offered a slot or something in Melbourne for the spring.”

He said regardless of whether War Machine is selected for the race his early spring target would be the Group 1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes (1400m), run on September 18, which he says would also be the right Everest lead up. He's currently a $21 Everest chance with TAB.

All the fields, form and replays for Saturday’s Randwick meeting