Team Hawkes report all is well with their trio of cups-bound heavyweights

The hype surrounding Black Caviar's half-brother All Too Hard has ensured Team Hawkes can take a low-key approach to this year's Melbourne Cup with some proven heavyweights.

All Too Hard and the clash between Pierro in the Run To The Rose at Rosehill tomorrow is making headlines. But what of Team Hawkes and their cups contenders? Stayers such as Maluckyday, Niwot and Fiumicino, which are prepared by John Hawkes and his sons Michael (Rosehill) and Wayne (Flemington). Owned by long-time Hawkes supporter Nick Moraitis, Maluckyday has raced just 13 times. Last time out the son of Zabeel was a first-up eighth in the Chelmsford Stakes at Warwick Farm three days short of a year ago.

"When talking of stayers, he is the best we've had," Michael said. "To go from a Hawkesbury maiden win to second in a Melbourne Cup in his first preparation, well, not many horses do that."

Following his Melbourne Cup second, Maluckyday returned in the autumn of last year but his campaign was aborted after three starts, then the Chelmsford was all he did last spring. Maluckyday and Niwot, which was the first Australian horse home in last year's Melbourne Cup when eighth, return to racing in tomorrow's Memsie Stakes at Caulfield.

"Maluckyday has a very long road ahead of him," Hawkes said. "He is returning from a bout of pneumonia and we won't know until race pressure is applied. It is an internal issue but everything is right, the vets have cleared him and we're looking forward to Saturday like everyone else." Hawkes said Niwot also has "a long way to go" and "he'll take a similar path to the cups as Maluckyday".

Following his Melbourne Cup campaign, Niwot, which has survived several career-threatening injuries, returned in the autumn to win the Sydney Cup. "He has come back great, he is well," Hawkes said. "He takes time to get going, needs the racing, and a distance, and he is another stable star that puts a tingle up your spine."

Then you've got Fiumicino, which is another owned by fresh fruit and veg king Moraitis. "He has been a super horse to us, an old marvel," Hawkes said. "He was our first group 1 winner for the partnership, he has been a great old horse."

Now nine, Fiumicino won the Australian Derby five years ago and two years later won The BMW.

"His first-up run in Melbourne was real good and he has returned to Rosehill," Hawkes said. "He drew awkward at Caulfield, they didn't go hard up front and he got home good. He is showing signs of the old days."

Meanwhile, winkers will be fitted to All Too Hard which was slow away when rolled as favourite first-up at Rosehill a fortnight ago. It was a similar case when All Too Hard chased home Pierro in the Sires' Produce at Randwick in the autumn.

"We've worked on that [barriers] and the winkers will help," Hawkes said. "We hope everything goes right. We know he is taking on Pierro, we can't worry about him, he is a class horse, won six from six, but we can only worry about our horse. He has done well since the first-up run and we know the further he goes the better."

Story: SMH