The Hawkes family have long had an association with large breeding and racing operations.
Family patriarch John Hawkes prepared the Woodlands Stud team for Jack and Bob Ingham before that operation was purchased by Darley Stud, morphing into the Godolphin operation.
Not long after, Hawkes branched out with sons Wayne and Michael in a two-state operation at Rosehill and Flemington, and while not having the same number of horses as in the Woodlands Stud days, they still prepared horses for a number of breeders.
Yulong Stud have a small number of horses with the Hawkes father and sons training operation and landed Victoria’s most prestigious two-year-old race on Saturday, the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield with Devil Night.
It was the second win for the Hawkes family after Kusi was awarded honours in 2003 after Roedean was disqualified after returning a positive swab, while it was Michael Dee’s second having won on Little Brose when the race was held at Sandown in 2023.
Devil Night ($16) held-on to win by a half-head from Tentyris ($21) with Tycoon Star ($17) a further 1-¼ lengths away third.
Devil Night is a son of 2016 Blue Diamond winner Extreme Choice and was a $1.4 million purchase at the Magic Millions Yearling Sale on the Gold Coast.
The colt has now assured his place as a future stallion on the Yulong roster.
“I’ve just seen Vin Cox and I said, you don’t have to buy this one,” Wayne Hawkes said.
“They certainly pay a lot of money for their horses. They paid a lot of money for this horse at the Magic Millions and to come out and win a Blue Diamond – wow.
“I’ve got to thank Yulong [Stud]. They’ve only got five horses with us. It’s a great effort and you know what, I just love doing that with the big colts.
“That’s what this game has become now – the big colts. I know I’m saying this as the winning trainer, but they’ve put up their money Yulong and they’re the biggest owners in the country.
“Mr Zhang is not going backwards in going forwards. He deserves every bit of success he gets because no one’s putting any more money into the game than him.”
Devil Night had only previously had the one start, finishing second to Field of Play.
Hawkes said to Dee not to over complicate his ride from barrier two.
“I thought he’d be in the first four or five and I said to Mick, ‘don’t overcomplicate it, he’s a lovely horse’,” Hawkes said.
“I’m not bagging Mick Dee, but he probably could have waited 50 more yards. At the 100 metres I was screaming ‘where is that winning post!’
“Winners are grinners, and no one ever remembers what margin they win by.”
Dee thought the race may have unfolded a little differently and was surprised to see a lack of early pace, resulting in a time of 1:10.47, the slowest since Pride Of Dubai in 2015.
“I thought there would be a little more pressure than that,” Dee said.
“I ended up outside the leader, basically by default. He was a little bit keen, travelled a little bit strong but he fought on well.
“Luckily, he did.”
