While the future awaits Nostradamus the past has Team Hawkes keen on the juvenile in Saturday’s Blue Diamond Stakes at Caulfield.
“He has flown under the radar,” Michael Hawkes said on Friday as the two-state stable gears up for a big weekend in Sydney and Melbourne.
Victorian racing’s premier event has attracted a capacity field of 16 runners and the unbeaten duo of Rubick and Earthquake dominate betting markets.
“He [Nostradamus] hasn’t done much wrong,” said Hawkes who trains in partnership with brother Wayne and Hall Of Fame father John.
“He has had the two starts, won the first one impressively then ran fourth from a bad barrier.”
The fourth was behind Rubick in a prelude to the group 1 feature and it was run over the Caulfield 1100m.
“He went back from the alley, had to circle the field and he hit the line super,” Hawkes said.
“He is stepping to 1200m which is another positive. He has done extremely well in the stable and it is a very open race now.
“Our horse has drawn 11, Rubick has drawn one inside us, Earthquake 15, it is a different race altogether and we couldn’t be happier with our horse.”
And the Hawkes team are chasing a Group 1 double down south for Happy Galaxy returns in the Oakleigh Plate.
“Last time in he picked up a virus similar to the one All Too Hard got,” Hawkes explained.
“While we picked up All Too Hard’s early, Happy Galaxy went to the races and the next day he had a roaring temperature, that’s why he went so bad and it is the reason he only had the one run last campaign.
“We tipped him straight out and while it is a tough field he has drawn one and he’ll get the right run in the race.
“He is as good as we can have him going into this race.”
Asked about the team assembled for the Randwick meeting in Sydney Hawkes replied “you’re forgetting one in Melbourne”.
The name being Not Listenin’tome which was also entered at the Randwick meeting.
“He left the Rosehill stable for Melbourne last night,” Hawkes said.
“He is a nice horse, first-up, against his own age and I think he’ll be hard to beat.”
The most interesting runner at Randwick is the former Magic Millions winner Real Surreal which is having her first start for the Hawkes stable.
Awaiting in the Light Fingers Stakes is the outstanding filly Guelph which is part of the mighty Darley Stud operation and a stablemate of Earthquake.
Hawkes explained Real Surreal’s owners had thought about trying to win a three-year-old Magic Millions race with the filly but black type would enhance her value.
“She was caught in between carnivals when she arrived at our place six months ago,” Hawkes said.
“We did a bit of work with her and then tipped her out. She is back on the carnival trial now and she is going great at home on the training track and in the stable.
“We expect her to run a big race too.”
Greco opens up proceedings at Randwick while stablemates Leebaz and Jolie Bay are ready to return from spells.
“Greco had to do all the work first time out and only died at the end,” Hawkes said.
“He is a nice horse going forward. Leebaz has a great record first-up and he’ll be very competitive while Jolie Bay has had a couple of trials and is doing well in the stable.
“She is a bit older now, a lot more mature and is going the right way.”
By Craig Young
