The Hawkes family have been involved in some of the great moments in the history of the Group One BMW at Rosehill and can add another chapter on Saturday if Maluckyday transforms favouritism into victory.
John Hawkes holds the record for most wins as a trainer in the BMW with five, including the 2009 edition training in partnership with his sons Michael and Wayne.
Octagonal provided Hawkes with his first success in the 2400m weight-for-age feature in 1996, part of an unforgettable autumn campaign which also netted the three-year-old triple crown of the Canterbury and Rosehill Guineas and AJC Australian Derby.
A year later Octagonal prevailed again when he arrived just in time to defeat Arkady in a deceptive photo-finish.
In 2001 Hawkes got the $101 shot Curata Storm to claim the staying feature in a major upset, and two years later Freemason outlasted “fighting tiger” Northerly after a thrilling duel all the way up the straight.
Fiumicino became the first Group One winner for Hawkes Racing – the partnership between John Hawkes and sons Wayne and Michael – when he raced to victory with Darren Beadman aboard in 2009.
It was also the first horse prepared by a training partnership in Sydney racing to win a Group One race.
Maluckyday, owned by Nick Moraitis, will carry the same colours as Fiumicino in Saturday’s BMW and on the eve of this year’s race Wayne Hawkes said Maluckyday was on target to claim his first Group One success.
“Everything is good with him,” Hawkes said.
“We just need no bad luck, we don’t need any good luck but just don’t need any bad luck, and he’ll do the rest.”
Maluckyday finished fourth as favourite in the Ranvet Stakes (2000m) two weeks ago when $101 chance Zavite fought off Caulfield Cup winner Descarado.
Maluckyday was back in the field and appeared to be struggling in the ground before running into fourth.
The son of Zabeel, who finished second in last year’s Melbourne Cup at just his ninth start, was a dominant winner of his only 2400m start when racing to a 4-1/4-length victory in the Listed City Tattersall’s Club Cup at Randwick last spring.
At his next start the four-year-old produced another dominant staying performance to book his Melbourne Cup berth, storming home to win the Group Three Lexus Stakes over 2500m at Flemington.
“That’s what he is, he’s a true stayer,” Hawkes said.
Hawkes said Maluckyday would be in the paddock on Monday with the Melbourne Cup later this year the main mission.
AAP TURF
