Leading South African rider Anton Marcus will partner former South African sprinter Seventh Rock in Saturday week's Group 1 Lightning Stakes at Flemington.
The four-year-old, a son of Rock Of Gibraltar, is a Group 1 winner in South Africa and hasn't raced since finishing a close-up third in the Group 1 Teledex Sprint there in May.
He has been with the David Hayes stable for almost three months now and is set to make his return in the Group 1 Lightning against top Australian sprinters Weekend Hussler and Apache Cat.
“He looks good but he would want to be,” Hayes said. “But I like him as a sprinter because he's a lazy worker. They tend to save their best for their runs.
“It would be very exciting if he was to win because it's such a hard thing to do. Coming to Australia and beating Australian sprinters on their home turf is near impossible. They are pretty good.”
The Australian bred
Seventh Rock 
has raced nine times and is yet to miss the placings, his six wins including the Group 1 Gold Medallion Stakes (1200m).
Anton Marcus, one of the top riders in South Africa including a record four wins in the July Cup and international successes like the Dubai Duty Free, has ridden Seventh Rock in all bar one of his races.
Connections of the entire were keen to stick with a rider who knew the horse and he will be re-united in the Lightning Stakes.
“Anton is a top rider who I know very well and he knows the horse very well,” Hayes said. “He has had good success with me in Hong Kong, as has his brother Basil.”
