Two superbly bred Hawkes Racing colts have fought out the finish of the Group One Golden Rose as Rothfire’s Everest campaign came under a cloud.
The Queensland flyer, who started an odds-on favourite, punctured late to finish fourth and was later found to be lame.
But it was all smiles from the Team Hawkes camp as Ole Kirk ($7), who hails from the family of Black Caviar and All Too Hard, edged out stablemate North Pacific ($7.50) by a head.
King’s Legacy ($21) ran on well for third in a good Caulfield Guineas trial.
The triumph gave jockey Tommy Berry his 30th Group One victory in the same race that delivered his first aboard Epaulette eight years ago.
“It’s very special. A lot has happened between my first and my 30th,” Berry said.
“My first one was for Peter Snowden who trained at Warwick Farm when I was a little kid there, and so did the Hawkes boys.
“They’re two memorable ones and have been for people who have known me since I could walk.
“They’ve seen me grow up hassling as a little kid at the track and I used to get yelled at, (brother) Nathan and I.
“I still get yelled at by them now all the time, so not much has changed.”
The Hawkes team specialise in sourcing well bred, athletic colts and nurturing them into quality racehorses who go on to lucrative stud careers.
Both Ole Kirk and North Pacific fit that bill and co-trainer Michael Hawkes says Saturday’s Golden Rose (1400m) result is satisfying.
“It is all about these colts. That is what we love doing. We exceed at it,” Hawkes said.
“We aren’t flamboyant about it, we are reserved and get on with the job and know what has to be done.
“Obviously this is the grand final, to run one-two, fantastic effort.”
The news wasn’t so good for Rothfire with Jim Byrne telling stewards he stopped quickly halfway up the straight, a clear sign to the jockey something was amiss.
“I had to work to get there but at the 400 metres I didn’t think they were going to catch me, but by the 300 metres it was over,” Byrne said.
“When he didn’t let down straightaway I thought something wasn’t right.”
Byrne dismounted from Rothfire on pulling up and the gelding was walked back to the enclosure, vets later finding him lame in the off-foreleg and shoulder.
The first three placegetters will all press on to the Caulfield Guineas.
