Mitch Cohen's Blackbook: Five to follow from Hawkesbury Saturday
News Corp racing expert Mitch Cohen has analysed all the performances from Saturday's Hawkesbury stand-alone meeting and found a few worth following.
FIVE TO FOLLOW
AERODROME (1st, Race 3)
Two wins from two by this promising son of Ole Kirk after his determined victory in the Clarendon Stakes. Stakes tests await in Queensland and he's going to make his presence felt.
✈� Aerodrome flies to remain unbeaten and take the Clarendon Stakes at @hawkesburyrc! @MFreedmanRacing | @Reganbayliss pic.twitter.com/1ZPtEmgZSe
— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) May 3, 2025
HEREWARD (2nd, Race 3)
Take nothing away from the Aerodrome but this juvenile deserves plenty of credit after leading the field up and sticking on for second on debut over 1400m. He won't be a maiden for long.
JUST PARTY (2nd, Race 6)
A gelding operation appears to have done the trick with this Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou-trained galloper making an excellent return to just come up short in the Hawkesbury Guineas. He's in for a great prep.
� Media World hangs on in the G3 @hawkesburyrc Guineas and makes it two in a row! @SnowdenRacing1 | @G1TySchil | @YulongInvest pic.twitter.com/rip3F1hXjK
— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) May 3, 2025
Burst through closer to the inside before getting gunned down by a race fit horse in Dragonstone with In Flight close up as well. It was a more than acceptable return and bodes well for the prep ahead over the winter months.
HOLLYWOOD HERO (4th, Race 10)
It was a race dominated by on-speed runners but he ran on well enough fresh from a break to just miss the placings. He's not a noted first-up performer so he looks set for a fruitful campaign.
A great battle between Cool Jakey and Gallant Star in the last at @hawkesburyrc, with Cool Jakey the winner - giving @PrideRacing a treble and Adam Hyeronimus a double! pic.twitter.com/so93GWzuFM
— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) May 3, 2025
â– â– â– â– â–
STEWARDS SAY
Starboard (Race 1): Hung in throughout the event and proved difficult to ride. A post-race veterinary examination did not reveal any abnormalities apart from losing its off-fore plate during running.
Damien (Race 3): Did not respond to his riding and was disappointing in the manner in which it closed off the race. A post-race veterinary examination did not reveal any abnormalities.
Coco Jamboo (Race 7): A power malfunction of the barriers delayed the start significantly and the mare was ultimately flat-footed when they jumped, losing five lengths. Stewards placed a warning on her barrier manners.
Celui (Race 9): Was found to have bled for the first time and is now banned from racing for three months.
Fire Star (Race 9): Did not handle the Heavy track and was further disadvantaged by being obliged to race close to the rail in the home straight. No abnormalities were found but his post-race condition will be followed up.
â– â– â– â– â–
THE CLOCK SAID
Aerodrome (Race 3): Trailed pacesetter Hereward in the run and did his best work late to overpower the David Payne-trained galloper. Aerodrome's last 600m was 34.86 seconds with runner-up Hereward in 35.22.
Able Willie (Race 4): Only had one runner behind him at the 600m before surging home to win. He was the only horse to break 34 in the race, surging home with a last 600m of 33.75 seconds.
Willing and able! Able Willie wins first up for @cwallerracing and @nashhot ðŸ'� @hawkesburyrc pic.twitter.com/TQO30p68lm
— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) May 3, 2025
Media World (race 6): Was able to control the speed from the front in the Hawkesbury Guineas before holding on with a last 600m of 34.81 seconds. Runner-up Just Party ran the same distance in a faster 34.06 but couldn't run him down.
City Of Lights (race 7): Camped in behind the leaders, this mare surged home in the Hawkesbury Crown with a last 600m of 33.32. Defending champ Coco Jamboo missed the start before finishing off in a race-best 33.13.
â– â– â– â– â–
TRACK TALK
'I have never had a horse with a pedigree like hers. It's a pedigree made in heaven, a half-sister to Winx by one of the best stallions (Deep Impact) to stand on the planet.' Joe Pride on City Of Lights.
'We were very tempted to geld him but Yulong wanted to give me one more chance with him as a colt and I'm glad they did.' Peter Snowden on Media World.
'I'm hoping he could emerge as a Stradbroke Handicap – he's heading in the right direction, that's for sure.' Snowden again.
'I could hardly pull him up after the post. He has a bright future.'' Regan Bayliss on Aerodrome.
'I will see how he pulls up but all going well we will look at Brisbane now for Aerodrome.' Michael Freedman.
'You could expect him to half not want to be here but he was better than last week.'' Nash Rawiller after Punch Lane 's latest win.
Punch Lane leads all the way in the G3 @hawkesburyrc Gold Cup and wins in style!�
That's also a double to @nashhot ðŸ'° @FreedmanRacing pic.twitter.com/Axz8K4OZIx
— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) May 3, 2025
â– â– â– â– â–
YOU CAN BET ON IT
Hawkesbury Crown
City Of Lights was well supported and got backed into $6 after opening at $11. There was winning $2000 wager at $5.50 placed.
Hawkesbury Gold Cup
All the money was for Punch Lane and the favourite saluted at $2.30 with a weight of dough behind it. Big wins included a $10,000 bet on the winner at $2.30 and a separate $9000 wager placed at $2.20.
Hawkesbury Gold Rush
Dragonstone was on the fourth line of TAB betting but had drifted out from $6 to $7.50 by the time it saluted. One TAB punter had $2000 each-way on the winner at $5/$1.85.
â– â– â– â– â–
THE SCHEDULE
Monday: Grafton, Gunnedah
Tuesday: Kembla Grange
Wednesday: Warwick Farm
Thursday: Goulburn, Wyong
Friday: Coffs Harbour
Saturday: Kembla Grange, Gosford, Lismore, Glen Innes
Sunday: Mudgee, Queanbeyan
â– â– â– â– â–
RON DUFFICY'S HAWKESBURY SNAPSHOT
RUN OF THE DAY
Punch Lane has had a real crack doing it both ends winning over the past three weeks in a row. He is in rare form and is a credit to his trainers Anthony and Sam Freedman.
FORGET THEY RAN
No dramatic hard luck stories on the day although I'd be forgiving of horses that got back and had to make their run out wide while the well fancied Celui bled which explains his failure.
THE BLACKBOOK
Aerodrome is a lovely two-year-old that could well be a force during the Queensland Winter Carnival while Just Party was terrific first-up as a gelding and might be ready to go through his grades this campaign.
Nash Rawiller did it best with a riding double and two close seconds.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
13 hours ago
- News.com.au
Trainer Joe Pride sets sights on clean sweep of Randwick quaddie on Saturday
Trainer Joe Pride can become the 'Quaddie King' if his stable quartet of Cool Jakey, In Flight, Headley Grange and Storm The Ramparts sweep the final four races at Royal Randwick on Saturday. In three of the four Quaddie legs, Pride has the early TAB Fixed Odds favourite including brilliant mare In Flight ($3.40) for the Listed $200,000 Bob Charley AO Stakes (1100m). In Flight scored a breakthrough stakes win in the Listed Bright Shadow Quality at Doomben last start and Pride has brought her back to Sydney for the Australian Turf Club's feature winter sprint. 'I just feel this is the right race for her,'' Pride said. 'She is a little ripper, I love taking her to the races because she has some serious talent and the outstanding thing about her is her ability to handle wet tracks.'' In Flight is having only her fourth run back this preparation and Pride plans to keep her going over the winter months. 'I want to make the most of the fact she is up for winter as she is such a good wet tracker,'' Pride said. 'I'll wait until after Saturday's race and then work out what we do with her. The Ramornie Handicap is a chance although I'd like it to be on a wet track. 'But the Queensland carnival goes on forever so I would be surprised if there wasn't a race up there on a wet track that is suitable for her.'' In Flight finds clear air to win the Magic Millions Bright Shadow for @PrideRacing! ✈ï¸� — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) May 17, 2025 • In Flight might be working into her winter preparation but stablemate Cool Jakey has already had an extended race campaign but seems to be improving with every start. Cool Jakey started his campaign in midsummer and is about to line up for his eighth run this time in when he contests the Sydney Roosters Partners Handicap (1600m). The Pride-trained 'miler' is the $2.80 favourite after finishing a close last start second to Hollywood Hero – with Nellie Leylax third – over the same course and distance two weeks ago. But the big difference this time is Cool Jakey, with the benefit of apprentice Jace McMurray 's claim, meets his two rivals significantly better at the weights. 'Jace can ride at 52kg and can use a fair bit of his claim for Cook Jakey,'' the trainer said. 'So, he is 5kg better off against Hollywood Hero and a couple of kilos better off against the third horse. 'You rarely hear me talking about weights particularly in sprint races, I don't worry about them too much, but when they are on a wet track over a mile they (weights) mean something.'' Hollywood Hero takes the inside alley and wins well at Randwick! ðŸ'� @BBakerRacing @djgibbons22 — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) May 24, 2025 Storm The Ramparts, a half-brother to Pride's 2022 Bob Charley Stakes winner Dragonstone, is the $4.60 favourite for the closer, the Toyota Forklifts Handicap (1000m). Pride said Storm The Ramparts had done well since winning over the Randwick 1000m course two weeks ago. 'He will be thereabouts again, he loves the mud,'' the trainer said. Storm The Ramparts leads from start to finish and wins at Randwick! ðŸ'Œ Hippo gets his double! ✌ï¸� @PrideRacing — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) May 24, 2025 Pride also has Cosmonova entered for the final leg of the Quaddie but conceded the mare was an unlikely starter on a heavy track. This leaves the remaining Quaddie leg, the Singapore Pools Handicap (1300m), where Pride has four entries – Headley Grange, Testator Silens, Estadio Mestalla and Accredited. Although Accredited ($6) is the shortest in betting of the stable's four runners, Pride said the sprinter would not run on a heavy track. 'Accredited and Cosmonova will come out on a heavy track and I couldn't see how it wouldn't be heavy,'' he said. This means Headley Grange ($6.50) is looming as the Pride pick given the gelding's penchant for rain-affected going. It's a double for Adam Hyeronimus! HEADLEY GRANGE gets the better of them late to take out race 6 from @WyongRaceClub. @PrideRacing — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) January 11, 2025 • 'It's a good race for Headley Grange, he's an extremely genuine horse and his share of talent,'' Pride said. 'He is a good horse on any track but he's very effective on wet tracks. He was unlucky one day earlier in his career at Kembla on a heavy track and ran into Briasa! 'Testator Silens ($17) has had the right preparation for this race. He's had two runs back, that probably counts for a bit and he is massively down in the weights from last start. He is a bit underestimated by the market for sure.''
News.com.au
13 hours ago
- News.com.au
Defending Inter Dominion winner Don Hugo takes first step towards his title defence with a return at Menangle
Luke McCarthy is a realist. The champion NSW horseman will take his stable star Don Hugo to Brisbane to defend his Inter Dominion crown and knows the bar has been raised. That's because, unlike in last year's Menangle Inter Dominion final, Don Hugo will have one of the greatest pacers this part of the world has seen in Leap To Fame to contend with. There's another factor niggling away at McCarthy, too. 'This year's (Inter Dominion) final is over 3157m and that plays to Leap To Fame's greatest strength, his stamina,' McCarthy said. 'Over the sprint distances, Don Hugo can be too sharp for him, but the longer the races, the harder he is to beat. 'We're talking about an out-and-out champion, one of the best pacers I've seen in Leap To Fame. 'We've beaten him before and I've got huge faith in my horse, but I'm also aware of the enormity of the challenge ahead in a series run in his backyard and a final over that sort of distance.' Don Hugo, who returns from a spell in a 2300m race at Menangle tonight, has clashed with Leap To Fame just three times and trails him 1-2. McCarthy's star ran fifth in February's Hunter Cup when Leap To Fame was second, then turned the tables when he led throughout to win the Miracle Mile at Menangle on March 8 where Leap To Fame was a brave second. Don Hugo WINS the G1 Inter Dominion Pacers Final & smashes the track record in the process! ðŸ�† â€' SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) December 14, 2024 • Ka Ying Rising locked in for The Everest as slot details confirmed Leap To Fame then produced arguably his greatest performance yet when he sat outside and crushed Don Hugo at their latest meeting in the $NZ1 million Race by Betcha in Cambridge, NZ on April 4. But McCarthy said Don Hugo performed below his best and was found to have a virus after the race. 'Leap To Fame was just too good, but Don Hugo is much better than he showed that night,' he said. 'He's thrived during the break, had a trial and private workout at Menangle, and he's raring to go this week. 'I plan to back him up the following week and then take him straight into the opening round of (Inter Dominion) heats on July 5.' Leap To Fame, who resumed from a break with a narrow but impressive Albion Park win last Saturday, will change tact when he backs up tomorrow (Saturday) night. Trainer-driver Grant Dixon has opted to run him from a 30m handicap over 2138m. It will be just his second standing-start race in 65 starts. He won the other at Albion Park back on June 8, last year.
The Age
16 hours ago
- The Age
News Corp bosses boycott Origin as V'landys goes to war over drugs question
Senior executives and editors at News Corp boycotted the offer of NRL hospitality at last week's State of Origin match in Brisbane amid a war of words with Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V'landys. V'landys expressed frustration and displeasure with the editors of The Daily Telegraph, The Courier Mail and Code Sports over the contents of a recently released series about rugby league player-agents titled 'The Deal Makers'. The series was based on a survey of 50 player-agents on some of the biggest issues in the game, including a question relating to the use of recreational drugs in rugby league. The agents were asked, 'Is drug use a problem with players?' with 62 per cent responding yes. That led to a series of heated phone calls between V'landys, and other NRL executives, and News Corp Australia executive chairman Michael Miller, Telegraph editor Ben English, sport executive editor Jason Scott and Queensland editor Chris Jones. Sources with knowledge of the situation – talking on the condition of anonymity due to the confidential nature of the phone calls – said V'landys took exception to the way the question was phrased, believing it incorrectly portrayed the NRL as having a widespread issue with drugs. The game has already had to deal with a number of recent headlines relating to players and drug issues – most notably involving Brayden Trindall, Josh Addo-Carr and Ezra Mam – and V'landys believed he needed to protect the reputation of the players. It resulted in several senior News Corp executives ignoring invitations to attend last week's Origin as guests of V'landys in the NRL's corporate suite at Suncorp Stadium.
