Chautauqua Well for Chairman's Tilt

Multiple Group 1-winning speedball Chautauqua (Aus) (Encosta De Lago {Aus}), who is trained for an ownership group by Team Hawkes in Australia, but will contest the 1200-metre G1 Chairman's Sprint Prize at Sha Tin solely in Michael Hawkes's name due to Hong Kong regulations, is in good order ahead of the May 1 fixture. Patriarch John Hawkes, who is still looking for an individual first international Group 1 success, arrived in Hong Kong Sunday and had an upbeat bulletin on his charge.

“He looks like he's settled in great,” said the Australian Racing Hall of Fame member, who trains with his sons Michael and Wayne. “The important thing is that we're here and he's in good order and gets to take his chance. We were very keen to come last December, but he wrenched a joint and just wasn't 100%. The horse always comes first with us, they always have and we wouldn't have taken a risk with him. It might have been a blessing in disguise because he had a good spell and he's come back so well. I think his last win was the best of his career.”

A winner of his second consecutive G1 T.J. Smith S. at Randwick during the first Saturday of The Championships Apr. 2, Chautauqua earlier added the G1 Manikato S. at Moonee Valley last October and the Feb. 20 G1 Lightning S. at Flemington prior to the T.J. Smith.

Added Hawkes, “Obviously we want a good, genuine pace. The harder they go the better for him. The ground doesn't matter, he's fine wet or dry but we do want a good pace. He's a back marker and back markers lose more races than they win. On speed runners win more than they lose. But he's only run one bad race in his life and he'll go in on Sunday in good shape and we'd love to see him do what he can.”