a day ago
Gold Coast trainer Peter Robl has reset his goals after winning back-to-back Darwin Cup crowns with Hadouken
It took two days of celebrating his momentous back-to-back Darwin Cup victories before the haze cleared and trainer Peter Robl could focus on his next mission.
The Gold Coast-based conditioner and his good mate, Victoria's premiership-winning jockey Blake Shinn, celebrated Hadouken 's Darwin Cup defence until sunrise at a local pub last week.
'Blake Shinn had to get on a 6am flight. If he didn't have to catch a plane we'd still be there,' the laconic Robl joked.
While Hadouken is now resting in Katherine before he travels back to Robl's Gold Coast stables on Sunday, Robl is already back on the tools and plotting a valuable stakes victory for his talented mare Overfull.
'I'd like to win a stakes race with Overfull because I own half of her,' Robl said.
'She's spelling in Melbourne at the moment.
'She'll come back to Queensland soon and there's a couple of stakes races over the summer carnival that will suit her.'
Overflowing with grit! ðŸ'°
A brave win to Overfull over the 1000m at @SCTurfClub for @RoblRacing and @_damienthornton!
— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) July 5, 2025
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Cranbourne trainer Lucy Yeomans, who is also Shinn's partner, is taking care of Overfull while the talented mare takes a break.
The daughter of Overshare won the $200,000 Bernie Spilsbury 3YO Handicap on the Sunshine Coast on July 5, a race named in honour of the club's long-time doctor who recently retired.
Overfull competed in the Listed Lightning Stakes (1050m) on Morphettville three weeks later but could only manage a sixth placing on the heavy ground.
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Robl has just 30 horses in work, so it's a tremendous achievement to not only capture back-to-back Darwin Cups with Hadouken but boast a live chance in black type races with Overfull.
'It gets you on a high and they're the reasons why you work so hard in this industry,' Robl said.
'Those results don't come around very often so when they do, you have to cherish the moments.
'But it's like anything, you just come back to the grind. Getting up at three o'clock in the morning brings you back down to earth really quick.'
Hadouken goes back-to-back in the Darwin Cup! ðŸ�† ðŸ'�
— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) August 4, 2025
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Robl was a distinguished jockey himself, winning four Group 1s in Queensland and NSW between 2008 and 2013.
However, his career was abruptly cut short by a serious race fall at Scone in January 2014, resulting in a fractured back that forced him out of the saddle on medical advice.
He transitioned into training and gained invaluable hands-on experience as a foreman for David Vandyke, overseeing the Segenhoe Racing stable at Randwick before eventually establishing his own operation on the Gold Coast in 2023.
'I was always going to head down this path and whether or not I'm successful, who knows?' Robl said.
'We're surviving and while we're surviving then we've got a chance.'
The look he gives you when he goes back-to-back in the Darwin Cup �
Congratulations to Gold Coast trainer Peter Robl and war horse Hadouken on a second straight Darwin Cup this evening.
— RaceQ (@RaceQLD) August 4, 2025
Sunshine Coast trainer Vandyke was delighted to see Robl win back-to-back Darwin Cup titles with dirt-track specialist Hadouken, who also captured the Chief Minister's Cup at huge odds on the way to the big race.
'It's always hard to win a big race but to win back-to-back certainly highlights his skill and expertise at getting horses ready,' Vandyke said.
'Peter was always going to have success as a trainer. His greatest strength is his connection to the horse.
'He places them well and they always look good at the races.'
Some victories just hit differently and winning the Darwin Cup is one of those truly special moments. Huge thanks to Hadouken’s owners for the opportunity. And to my great mate Pete, I couldn’t be prouder to share this with you. What a day!
— Blake Shinn (@blake_shinn) August 4, 2025
For Robl, winning the Darwin Cup with Shinn was the icing on top of a delicious cake for a pair of mates described as a 'yin and yang' combination.
'You couldn't have scripted it better,' Robl said.
'It means a little bit more having Blake riding. It was a great thrill.
'He's 100 per cent full-on when it comes to racing and he leaves no stone unturned whereas I'm happy to kick along, take what's there and just enjoy it.'
