History recipes
John Hawkes, Premier Trainer
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Some names are just so familiar to our country’s punters, they really don’t need an introduction. One of those names is premier Australian horse trainer John Hawkes.
John Hawkes began his training career during the 1971-1972 racing season in Adelaide. But his story really begins when he began working for the Ingham family in 1992. He moved to Melbourne from Sydney when offered the top job by the ‘chicken kings’ Jack and Bob Ingham. Hawkes was in charge of stables in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide. The Hawkes and Inghams’ partnership became a long and successful association that did not end until 2007 when he chose to begin his own training operation.
The Cox Plate - A Rich History
If you have any doubts about Australians love of horse racing, just look at the history of the Group 1 W.S. Cox Plate.
The “Race of the Century” in 1986 featured a titanic neck and neck battle between two chestnut geldings that raced into “equine immortality”. For the last 800 metres Bonecrusher and Our Waverley Star battled for the Cox Plate, with Bonecrusher prevailing by a neck. It is a story Australian punters retell over and over again, because it holds all of the elements which make horse racing so enthralling.
Are You Ready for The Caulfield Cup?
The Caulfield Cup is considered one of the toughest handicap races run anywhere in the world. First run in the autumn of 1879, it was moved to the spring of 1881 where it has been run since.
The Caulfield Cup is the major lead-up race for the Melbourne Cup and as a result the histories of each famous race are woven together. Many of the same trainers, jockeys and horse names can be found when you read the honours roll of both races. When a horse wins both the Caulfield Cup and the Melbourne Cup, it is said to have won the “Cups double”.
Standing Still with Racing Hearts
On the first Tuesday of every November, the “Race that Stops a Nation” doesn’t stop everything in Australia. While the Melbourne Cup stops legs from walking away from the television and eyes from straying from screen, it does not stop the pounding of the blood through the veins as Australians of all ages watch thoroughbreds race for the world’s richest handicap prize.
Phar Lap, Australia’s Wonder Horse
Phar Lap’s list of race victories reads like a roll-call of Australia’s greatest races: Melbourne Cup, Cox Plate (twice), Victoria Derby, AJC Derby, Futurity Stakes, Chipping Norton Stakes, Underwood Stakes, Memsie Stakes, Rosehill Guineas, Craven Plate, VRC St Leger, Chelmsford Stakes. Add to that the world’s richest race (Agua Caliente Handicap) and a sad demise and you soon realise why Phar Lap inspired a movie in his honour and was a household name in Australian and abroad.