The advantages presented by the Hawkes family’s bi-state racing operation were clearly demonstrated at Flemington’s Finals Day meeting on Saturday, as the father-and-sons training team captured the $175,000 Taj Rossi Series Final with their galloper, Marwooba.
The son of Wootton Bassett, prepared by John, Wayne, and Michael Hawkes, built upon a recent win at Rosehill on June 13 to claim a Listed victory over 1600 metres.
This outing represented a successful return to Victoria for the gelding. He had previously been sent to Sydney following a last-place finish, 30 lengths behind the winner, at Geelong in his first start of the campaign. Wayne Hawkes highlighted the positive impact of the superior weather conditions found north of Victoria at this time of year.
“He only got here yesterday and his coat looked amazing,” Hawkes, who oversees their Flemington stable, commented. “The Sydney horses just look so much better than the Melbourne horses, just because of the weather. There’s nothing anyone could do about that, but he just got off the float and he had a pig-root and was pretty happy with himself.”
Marwooba made the most of an efficient run under the expert guidance of Melbourne’s leading jockey, Craig Williams, to defeat the $2.70 favourite, Star Of Macedon.
Williams settled Marwooba in a stalking position, found a gap down the straight midway, and accelerated effectively to establish a winning margin. The $3.20 second favourite scored by half a length, with Ko Phangan ($7) taking third place, three-quarters of a length behind Star Of Macedon.
This victory marked Williams’ second win of the day in juvenile races, having previously won the $150,000 Next Generation Sprinters Series Final (1200m) aboard the $2 favourite Stars Of Dom.
Hawkes stated that the team’s focus would now shift towards the spring racing carnival with Marwooba. A potential target is the Group 2 Bill Stutt Stakes (1600m) at Caulfield on September 27, which could serve as a stepping stone to the Group 1 Spring Champion Stakes in Sydney.
“We’re very happy to be here in the depths of winter winning a race in July, (he’ll go) back to Sydney and have three weeks off probably, then come back into work and he might end up in a Spring Champion (Stakes). There are plenty of options for him.”
With Marwooba’s spring campaign looming, punters can compare the latest racing odds at online bookmakers.
