All in the family

As All Too Hard ambled past his older rivals in last Saturday’s Group 1 Futurity Stakes (1400m), his trainer John Hawkes managed the briefest of smiles.

The smile was not necessarily uncharacteristic for the veteran trainer but it was a show of emotion rarely seen on a racetrack by a man whose reputation for understatement almost rivals his ability to train winners.

Nor was it devoted entirely to the celebration of the Group 1 triumph, something the seasoned Hawkes has experienced on more than 100occasions throughout his esteemed career.

Saturday’s win, which followed another weight-for-age triumph in the Group 1 C.F. Orr Stakes (1400m) a fortnight earlier, was arguably the most impressive of All Too Hard’s 11-start career and further vindicated the opinion the trainer had held of his superstar colt from the day he first walked into his stables.

“A lot of what he did at two was just on raw ability and we always knew we would see the best of him at three and beyond,” Hawkes said of the galloper purchased for a handsome sum by Vinery Stud prior to the Melbourne Festival of Racing.

“We just do what’s best for the horse, we’ve always done that, the boys (Wayne and Michael) and I have always put the horses first and everything else comes second.”

It’s this patience that has been a trademark of the Hall Of Fame trainer since he first took out a trainer's licence in South Australia in 1971.

Rather than rushing the preparations of young gallopers to have them ready for lucrative juvenile races, the majority of Hawkes’ winners have come from progressive horses given time to develop and mature into themselves.

This is particularly true of All Too Hard who was thrust into Golden Slipper calculations last year after impressive wins in the Listed Talindert Stakes (1100m), Group 2 VRC Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) and the Group 2 Pago Pago Stakes (1200m).

Adamant that his horse would be better suited in the long term by missing the pressure-cooker Slipper, Hawkes opted to send the then-Patinack Farm-owned colt to the Group 1 Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m), where he was beaten by Pierro, before sending him to the paddock.

“It’s all about being patient. If you’re patient you’ll always get a result if you’ve got a horse with ability, it’s just a matter of putting the horse first and not worrying about anything else,” Hawkes said.

“We’ve been patient and have had to nurse a lot of young horses through and a lot are just coming to the fore now and that’s been the reason why.”

“We’ve looked after him (All Too Hard) and he is repaying us now so it’s great.”

In an industry where the leading trainers and jockeys use their public profiles often as much as results on the track to market themselves, Hawkes remains largely removed from the spotlight, something that has characterised his four decades in the training game.

Reluctant to give extensive interviews, particularly about himself, Hawkes has deflected much of the media attention over the past five years to sons Wayne and Michael.

“Everybody has got their own way to operate and their reason for doing so but the bottom line is that if you don’t train winners, no matter how much you’re in the limelight, you’re not doing your job,” Hawkes said

His response is preceded by a long silence, a trait of the man who ponders each word before its utterance, never wanting to give too much away.

“I’ve always been like that,” Hawkes said. “It’s got nothing to do with not liking media, I just prefer to get about doing my job and I think the best exposure is training winners.

“I’ve always spoken to the media when they wanted to but I just like to keep out of the limelight, that’s just me and that’s how I’ve always been.”

The training partnership, established in 2008 following the end of Hawkes’ tenure as head trainer for the Ingham-owned Crown Lodge, is producing more winners than it ever has.

Still a “boutique” operation according to Hawkes, the performances of All Too Hard this season have been complemented by those of quality stablemates including last-start Expressway Stakes winner Happy Galaxy, exciting filly Jolie Bay, as well as durable stayers Maluckyday and Niwot.

The trainer admits his training methods have changed little over the years but the current structure, which sees Wayne at the helm of the Flemington stable and Michael charged with the care of their Sydney team, has seen his patriarchal role dissolve somewhat.

“We’ve always worked as a team together and we’ve always discussed everything and it was just that I was more the figurehead then,” Hawkes said.

“Now the boys are on an equal footing but we still discuss everything and work through the issues.

“They are still learning and they’ve got me as a good backup and that’s really what it’s all about because three heads are better than one.”

But much to the chagrin of those who said his departure from Crown Lodge spelled the first step in a retirement plan, Hawkes insists he has no plans to take a back seat.

“If I ever lose the passion (for training) then it will be time to move on but I don’t feel I have and think I have plenty more to offer and a lot more years yet,” Hawkes said.

“This has just given the boys the opportunity to have their name in the book, which I feel they deserve and I’m happy for them to have that because they put a lot in.”

For Hawkes, All Too Hard is not a game changer. With a stud career beckoning, the Caulfield Guineas-winner is unlikely to race much past this season and may never be spoken about in the same breath as former Hawkes headline-grabbers Octagonal or Lonhro.

After one of his most successful seasons during the early 1990s, Hawkes famously said “you’re only as good as your next winner.”

Two decades later, it is something the trainer still firmly subscribes to and if Saturday’s Australian Guineas plays to script, one suspects that a semblance of a smile will again brief Hawkes’ face.

“The racing game has always been a bit like that,” Hawkes mused. “While you’re training a winner everyone wants to know you and when you don’t nobody does.”

“You’re only as good as your last winner, simple as that.”

Story: James Tzaferis www.racingvictoria.net.au/news/RVL/n_All_in_the_family.aspx

Photo: www.sportpix.com.au