Hawkes laments Plate class of 2001
Saturday's Cox Plate at Moonee Valley is hardly a perfect fit for Helmet, according to John Hawkes armed with the knowledge of what is required to take the weight-for-age championship of Australasia with a three-year-old.
"His record is really good but there's definitely a query about him over the 2000 metres," the trainer said.
Hawkes is well qualified on the subject, having won the Cox Plate in 1995 with Octagonal, while his other three-year-old, Viscount, was an unlucky third to Northerly and champion mare Sunline in 2001.
"I'm not training Helmet, so I haven't the insight Peter's got," he said in regard to his protege Peter Snowden, now in charge of the huge Australian training wing of the Darley operation. Darley took over from Woodlands Stud, the racing empire of the late Jack and Bob Ingham. Hawkes was instrumental in making it one of the great racing stables.
Sometimes regarded as taciturn, Hawkes has an opinion, untarnished by diplomacy. "Helmet's best wins are when he's led. When he gets back in the field, in my book, he's got a chance of doing things wrong, he said. Which means if he has to lead there's a lot of speed in the race and he could be pressured. There's a few ifs and buts … "
Hawkes can see the resemblance between Helmet and Viscount. Both provided difficult moments for those in the saddle.
"Viscount went sideways at seagulls [in the AJC Sires' Produce at Randwick], just lucky Rodney [Quinn] was on him," Hawkes said. "I don't think he was quite as wayward as Helmet as a youngster but in that way they are similar. This bloke might even be a better horse."
At one stage, Viscount was regarded as more promising than Lonhro. ''But Lonhro went to another level," Hawkes said. Not, though, at Moonee Valley, another suspect area for Helmet, making his debut at the circuit. The outstanding Lonhro lost a gear in two Cox Plates. "It was the only flaw Lonhro had, he couldn't handle the Strathayr [racing surface]," Hawkes said.
After a dazzling Caulfield Guineas triumph, Hawkes decided to bypass the 2001 Cox Plate with Lonhro and depend on Viscount, easily beaten by his stablemate at Caulfield but buffeted by interference.
The trend continued at Moonee Valley. Viscount took on two greats Northerly, with Damien Oliver up, and Sunline. Over the latter stages, Viscount, handled by Kerrin McEvoy, was minced between them. Northerly won by a length from Sunline with the three-year-old a neck behind the mare. McEvoy protested against the first two, as did Greg Childs (Sunline) against the winner.
After the objections were dismissed, Hawkes stormed out of the stewards' room, and fumed: "You can't print what I want to say."
Hawkes recalled this week how Sunline "went out and Northerly went in" crunching Viscount.
"In my book, it should have been upheld, the trainer said. Like all protests, it's all about if it looks like it should be upheld to the public they will uphold it, if not, they won't. When you look at the side-on [view], it didn't seem like that much interference from Northerly. When you see the head-on, it's a completely different story. But probably your average person doesn't understand that …
"Jockeys? If the inside and outside both do it, generally the jockeys don't get suspended. But if one does it, he cops the lot. I don't think that works. If two contribute, they both should get rubbed out. If two contribute, the protest should be upheld."
Being at the hearing, I agreed with McEvoy, who felt Viscount was plugging away strongly in a typical Cox Plate slugfest over the last 50 metres when he was sandwiched between the first two. Had Oliver and Childs, McEvoy said, stopped riding and kept their mounts on course, leaving Viscount unimpeded, it would have been different.
"Again Oliver showed why he is the best jockey in Australia and by a considerable margin, too," I wrote after the event. "Only last Saturday Oliver, who handled Sky Heights, fired in a protest against Ethereal in the Caulfield Cup but it was slap and tickle compared with yesterday." Ollie rides Glass Harmonium on Saturday, and McEvoy, on Helmet, has come a long way since Viscount.
Like Viscount - but not Helmet - Octagonal, was downed in the Caulfield Guineas, more by lack of tempo than the winner Our Maizcay. It was a trot and canter and sprint home, impossible for Octagonal to win, Hawkes recalled. (The last three-year-old to complete the Caulfield Guineas-Cox Plate double was Red Anchor in 1984.)
"Octagonal was a super, super horse. Three-year-olds win the Cox Plate but generally they have to be superstars. Those tough, seasoned horses are never easy for three-year-olds. It took Octagonal all his time to beat Mahogany.''
The trainer feels the 11 barrier for Helmet could be a problem. ''Bad gates cost you races, good gates win you races," he said.
However, the two memorable Cox Plates with the Hawkes involvement shows only the toughest survive. Helmet doesn't lack ticker. He won't be trading bumps with Northerly and Sunline either.
Story: Max Presnell SMH
Photo: Martin King Sportpix