Invisible threat for Magic Millions 2YO Classic on the Gold Coast

THE recent form of Team Hawkes horses, matched with the family's imposing record on the Gold Coast, points to Invisible being a serious threat in Saturday's Magic Millions 2YO Classic, despite him being the most lightly raced horse in the race.

John Hawkes and his sons Michael and Wayne have their stable runners on fire at the moment.

Wins at Caulfield (Laohu) and Rosehill (Mecir) on Saturday mean they have now saddled up 18 winners from their past 50 runners.

"It's taken time. It's been a slow, rebuilding process," Michael Hawkes said yesterday.

"People think this success happens overnight. It doesn't. Patience. It's like anything. You do the hard yards early, you always get the result at the other end. Those results are starting to shine.

"We've had a lot of nice horses through and things are just falling right. We're all about winning. You just place them in the right races and things will flow."

On the Gold Coast, Team Hawkes have had just nine runners for three Magic Millions day wins.

Traitor will aim to give them a third win in the MM Maiden (if he makes the field), while Invisible is their best chance yet to win a major, although John Hawkes did win a Magic Millions Trophy (now Guineas) with Jamieson Valley when at the helm of Crown Lodge.

Michael said Invisible, who arrives in Queensland on Thursday night, had a sense of timing and has "done super" since his debut win at Canterbury last month.

"He had to win to book his ticket and he has to go on and go forward to get here and he keeps doing that," he said.

"Babies can keep improving or they can fall apart. You just have to treat them carefully, nurture them and hopefully they keep progressing forward and he has.

"In the mounting yard first up he looked like an old three-year-old. He just lobbed around and didn't care about anything and he came out and did what he needed to do and he did it professionally.

"He's a young horse with a lot of upside."

Invisible cost $280,000, making him the second most expensive yearling sold last year by So You Think's conqueror All American.

"He was the right type. He was the right cut of a horse, a magnificent horse," Hawkes said. "There's a lot of nice horses in the sale, but he was the pick of them."

Hawkes said Traitor would join Invisible on the float if he makes the final field.

Meanwhile, in other Magic Millions moves yesterday, Bassillique was withdrawn, paving the way for Echo Gal to secure the final spot in the 16 horse field, bringing Sagatona to first emergency.

Jason McLachlan has confirmed Eddie Wilkinson will ride Divine Service.