Team Hawkes rarely ventures to Tasmania in search of a feature race success but one of those occasions will be on Sunday when Rainbow Styling runs in the Group Three $225,000 Hobart Cup.
Wayne Hawkes, who runs the Melbourne arm of the operation at Flemington, recalled that Pine Circle filly Cushy, ridden by Brian Werner, won the 1994 Listed Tasmanian Oaks (2400m) at Launceston for the then John Hawkes stable.
“Apart from Cushy winning the Tassie Oaks, we had a Marauding three-year-old run in the Derby, that’s about it,” Hawkes said.
Rainbow Styling goes into the 2200m feature in good form as the last-start winner of an 1800m open handicap at Caulfield on January 26 which encouraged Wayne Hawkes, his father John and brother Michael to send the seven-year-old to Tasmania.
“He’s there. He left the stables late on Thursday night and was flown over,” Wayne Hawkes said.
“He’s fine. He’ll be coming home Tuesday win, lose or draw.”
The Zabeel gelding is well credentialled having won eight of his 37 starts with another 11 placings and prizemoney earnings of more than $540,000.
Raced by Nick Moraitis of Might And Power fame, Rainbow Styling’s best win was in the 2010 Group Three Naturalism Stakes (2000m) at Caulfield which made him exempt from the Caulfield Cup ballot that spring.
However the stable decided to miss that race to look for easier pickings but he didn’t manage another win until last start.
“You go up in the weights when you win those better races and things like that and older horses like him come in and out (of form),” Hawkes said.
“But he’s back on song and going great again.”
Rainbow Styling goes into the Hobart Cup third-up and close to his peak.
“He’s a bloody good horse but he’s not an absolute topliner,” Hawkes said.
“With horses every race is his next race and could be his last race so you can’t have any long-range plans with them.
“You win whatever you can with them while you can to be honest.”
Dwayne Dunn, who won on Rainbow Styling at Caulfield, retains the mount on the Cup topweight who will carry 59kg in a field of 10.
Rainbow Styling, who drew barrier one, is $3.80 second pick in the TAB Sportsbet fixed odds market which has the John Luttrell-trained Geegees Blackflash $2.70 favourite.
Geegees Blackflash, to be ridden by Peter Mertens, is unbeaten so far this preparation and is going for his fifth straight win.
The Clangalang five-year-old, who has won 10 of his 33 starts, is very versatile having won from 1100m to the 2200m of the 2010 Tasmanian Derby.
First-up this campaign the gelding won the Listed Tasmanian Newmarket (1200m) at Launceston in November.
Two starts later he won the Listed Tasmanian Stakes (1600m) at Hobart in late December and last start shouldered 60kg to victory in the Summer Cup (2100m) at Hobart on January 22.
The other main local hope is 2012 Devonport Cup (1880m) winner Dream Flyer ($13), prepared by Troy Blacker.
Among the visitors is the Shaune Ritchie-trained Kiwi stayer Roi D’Jeu ($5), the Patrick Payne-trained Fieldmaster ($7), Mike Moroney’s Viking Hero ($9) and the Danny O’Brien-prepared Placement ($21).
AAP TURF
