CALL OF FAME
Agony turns to ecstasy for man behind the mic
MOMENTS before being inducted into the Gold Coast Turf Club Hall of Fame, former racecaller Steve Hawkins was still fuming he had been axed as the event’s compere.
Hawkins has been the man behind the microphone at the club’s racing industry awards in recent years but had to be replaced for last night’s event in order to keep his induction into the Hall of Fame a secret.
He was one of four new Hall of Fame inductees, while a host of other Gold Coast figures were also honoured.
TOM BOSWELL REPORTS
MOMENTS before being inducted into the Gold Coast Turf Club Hall of Fame, former racecaller Steve Hawkins was still fuming he had been axed as the event’s compere.
Hawkins has been the man behind the microphone at the club’s racing industry awards in recent years but had to be replaced for last night’s event in order to keep his induction into the Hall of Fame a secret.
It made for an awkward conversation between Hawkins and chairman Brett Cook when he was told he wouldn’t be doing the 2018 event but one of the city’s most respected racing figures now understands why.
“We had to bump him and he got the s*** with me big time because he didn’t know what we were up to behind the scenes,” Cook said.
“He was dragging his feet around for a month.
“Steve has played an enormous part at the club. He was a racecaller for 20 years, was a director on the board, was deputy chairman and is a horse breeder.
“From a Hall of Fame perspective, I don’t think we have
had anyone tied up in three different categories who has qualified.”
Hawkins was joined in the Hall of Fame by fellow new members John and Helen
Page and former premier Gold Coast jockey Alan “Pup’’ Cowie.
John Page, who was unable to attend the awards due to illness, was a prominent Sydney trainer in the 1960s and 70s.
He is best known as the trainer of Royal Sovereign, one of only three horses to claim a coveted Derby treble – he won the Victoria Derby, AJC Australian Derby and Queensland Derby – in the same season.
John’s wife Helen has been training in southeast Queensland racing for the past two decades and won the Gold Coast trainers premiership in 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2016-17.
Cowie won the Gold Coast jockeys premiership in 2000-2001 before suffering severe spinal injuries in a fall at the 2002 Magic Millions race day at the Gold Coast.
The incident left him wheelchair-bound.
Les Kelly, Ryan Plumb and Jackson Murphy were officially presented with the trainer, jockey and apprentice premierships last night while a host of other awards were handed out.
Malkara, formerly trained by the Gold Coast’s Michael Costa, was named Horse of the Year after winning three successive races in August.
The Tony McEvoy-trained Sunlight was named the Feature Horse of the Year after winning the Magic Millions 2YO Classic while the Kellytrained Desmon’s Pride won the Premiership Horse of the Year award.