"It was Sir Peter's (Vela, part-owner) idea to come here, fully endorsed by the trainer, and it would be great if he could get some of his own dollars back."
While Hayes said it was hard to compare form between the two nations, he has a lot of respect for the field and is looking forward to a strong showing from his charge in the million-dollar feature.
"The build-up has been uneventful, he has done everything right, so I will be very disappointed if he doesn't run a good race. I think we have got a cracking race though, there are some outstanding opposition, so he will have to be on his best to get there."
Long Leaf pleased his connections with his final hit-out on Tuesday and will now take a quiet approach into Saturday's meeting.
"He is going to arrive at Brendan Lindsay's and won't do much because he had his final gallop yesterday (Tuesday)," Hayes said.
Hayes was on-hand at Karaka yesterday to select gate 11 in the barrier draw for the Karaka Million 3YO Classic and he said he was looking forward to New Zealand Bloodstock's yearling sales, which begin at their Karaka sales complex on Sunday.
"I think it is probably the best sales complex in the world that I have been to, so it's such a pleasure to be here looking at the horses."
- NZ Racing Desk
