Dry tracks will be the main criteria for Masked Crusader this spring as Hawkes Racing bid to get the gifted sprinter back into the winner’s circle.
The six-year-old, who makes his seasonal return in the Group 3 Concorde Stakes (1000m) at Randwick on Saturday, hasn’t tasted victory since last year’s Premiere Stakes, although he did subsequently finish runner-up to Nature Strip in The Everest.
While his form on rain-affected ground reads soundly enough, co-trainer Wayne Hawkes says the Everest contender is much more effective on firmer surfaces.
That was reflected in his early-autumn form when he was competitive on good tracks in the Newmarket Handicap and Lightning Stakes before being well-beaten on heavy ground in the T J Smith Stakes.
“He hasn’t won for 12 months because of the wet track scenario,” Wayne Hawkes said.
“Even though he has wet track form, he doesn’t like it.”
A $15 chance in early Everest markets, Masked Crusader is expected to campaign almost exclusively in Sydney this spring.
However, Hawkes said the stable would keep an open mind and could re-route him to Melbourne if the weather turned.
“He wasn’t going down, but we could come down for a dry track if need be,” Hawkes said.
Meanwhile, Mark Newnham is anticipating an improved performance from Seven Veils in Saturday’s Furious Stakes (1200m), although he doesn’t expect the filly to hit her straps until deeper into the Princess Series.
A Group 2-winning juvenile, Seven Veils resumed with a midfield effort in the Silver Shadow Stakes (1200m) when she settled back in the field from a wide gate and made late headway in a race dominated by the on-speed runners.
“I think the first five around the corner were the first five home, so it was hard to make ground from the back,” Newnham said.
“Her and Wolverine were the two that did make ground from there and she raced a bit fresh early so I thought it was a pass mark.
“She has drawn a bit better Saturday, but she is probably still a run or two away from her peak.”
