Connections of Chautauqua (Aus) (Encosta De Lago {Aus}) have made a swift decision to bypass a trip to Royal Ascot with their thrilling sprinter. The 5-year-old showed he is one of the world's fastest horses with an amazing last-to-first win in the G1 Chairman's Sprint Prize at Sha Tin on Sunday. It would have been a great spectacle to see him take on Europe's finest sprinters, but that will not be according to co-trainer Michael Hawkes.
Hawkes commented, “As much as the carrot is big in England, the horse comes first and it's in the best interests of the horse to go home. He pulled up a little bit flat and has got half a black eye. He has got nothing to prove, not that he ever has.”
The Hawkes team are keen for Chautauqua to eventually test his mettle against the Europeans and are thinking long term.
“We want to look after him, he's been great to us–he's done his job for this year, but this time next year it, that's a different story–we'd probably roll the dice and go.”
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