News

Chautauqua 'Super': Hawkes

15th Jul 2015

Breeding & Racing - Wednesday, 15th July 2015

Co-trainer Michael Hawkes has provided an update on the progress of star sprinter Chautauqua who has been back in work at Team Hawkes' Rosehill stable for about a week now.

"He's great. He spelled really well. He came in last week and he looks super," Hawkes told RSN radio's Shane Anderson.

"He's only doing a bit of three-quarter pace at the moment but he had a solid four weeks of pre-training."

Hawkes said it was yet to be decided when the Group 1 winner would launch his spring campaign, but confirmed his runs would be spaced and that a trip to Hong Kong was planned at the end of the year.

"Whether he starts here in Sydney or in Melbourne is yet to be decided, but he'll probably only have two runs, maybe three at the most, and maybe have a freshen up and then obviously run in races like the Darley [Group 1 Darley Classic] and then hopefully to Hong Kong at the end of the year," he said.

"Where we start him is yet to be decided but we will space his runs. He's a fresh horse anyway, everybody knows how good a sprinter he is on his day so we just have to monitor him and space his runs."

The $1 million Group 1 Darley Classic (1200m) will be run at Flemington on 7 November, while the Group 1 Hong Kong Sprint (1200m) is scheduled for the big international race day at Sha Tin on 13 December.