Pure Hawk finally hitting his stride
WULGURU trainer Jeffrey Caught believes Pure Hawk has finally hit his straps after holding out Pure Rebel in a blanket finish in yesterday’s Benchmark 65 Handicap (1400m) at Cluden Park.
Pure Hawk ($2.50 favourite) and Pure Rebel ($6) for trainer Bill Kenning were engaged in a thrilling duel from the top of the straight, but it was the favourite who got the nod in a photo.
The Roy Chillemi-trained Aggarwal ($6) finished a nose back in third after leading the field at the 200m before Pure Hawk and Pure Rebel stormed down the outside.
Pure Hawk’s form has been inconsistent with two wins from seven starts this prep and he finished dead last after a luckless run over the distance at Cluden Park on August 24.
The five-year-old gelding has now placed in his last two starts and Caught told Sky Thoroughbred Central after yesterday’s race that he felt he’d found the winning formula for Pure Hawk.
“He’s had a long prep this year and a few things haven’t gone right,” Caught said.
“He pings the gates normally and we’re just teaching him to relax … I think even the run before that when he was held up and came last it was a bit unlucky.
“He’s just starting to realise that getting him to relax and hitting the line is probably more of his go.
“He spelled through the wet and hasn’t had a great prep all year and we’re probably at the end of it now, but he’s just starting to hit his straps so we’ll see what happens after today.”
Meanwhile, Tolga trainer Sharlee D’avila claimed a winning double as she combined with her husband and jockey Wanderson D’avila with Spacex in the Maiden Handicap (1400m).
Narda Shar ($9) then finished the day in style with a strong ride from Pietro Romeo to hold out the fast-finishing Anne Catherine ($12) in the Benchmark 55 Handicap (1200m).
Spacex ($4.40) showed an explosive turn of foot to run down Caffe Romano ($21) and break his maiden status in just his third start for the D’avila stable after coming up from Victoria.
“He gave me a bit of a thrill to watch. He’s not the easiest sort of horse to train and his first start for us he showed us a bit of talent (but) didn’t sort of handle the track so much,” Sharlee D’avila told Sky Thoroughbred Central.
“We thought we’d just keep him in the pool a little bit and that seems to just put lengths on him.”