Brave One's wide run no obstacle in Randwick triumph
The Team Hawkes-trained three-year-old proved you can travel wide and still win, proved he's not just a wet-tracker, and proved he's a promising young sprinter.
This all took a tick over 67 seconds as Brave One put paid to his rivals with a consummate ease in the Quayclean Handicap (1300m).
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Hall of Fame trainer John Hawkes wasn't concerned when jockey Dylan Gibbons was trapped three-wide from an outside barrier.
'It's all about tempo. They didn't go hard and Dylan had the horse in a nice rhythm,'' Hawkes said.
'If they ran long at a fast tempo, then he had a chance to get over but if they go hard and you are trapped out wide then it is more difficult.
'But Dylan rode the horse how I asked him to – just have the horse where he was comfortable.
'Brave One was a class above them, he's better than this grade.''
With Gibbons wearing the racing colours synonymous with the Hawkes stable's former champion sprinter Chautauqua, the emerging Brave One ($4 favourite) raced away to win by one-and-a-half lengths from Secure ($5) with Lunaite ($5) nearly a length away third.
Gibbons, who missed four months over summer with a shoulder injury but has been in brilliant form of late, didn't panic when he could get closer than three-wide on Brave One early.
'You probably couldn't tell but the first half of the race I had actually cover and it wasn't until the 700m that Kerrin (McEvoy, Lunaite) dropped in,'' Gibbons said.
'The pace slackened and it landed us in free ground so I just had to trust his ability late.''
Gibbons admitted it is usually frowned upon in Australian racing to be three-wide but the jockey was also factoring in the race tempo with his riding tactics.
'Sometimes being three-wide is better than being one-one or three-back, one-off in a slow race and over-racing. From those wide alleys you can really only beat yourself,'' he said.
'I have been doing a bit of work for the Hawkes team at home and they are very easy to ride for.
'They've got one instruction and that's to ride the horse and keep the horse happy. It is pretty easy when your only plan is to do exactly that. They make it easy on you.
'There were no instructions from out wide. I trusted the horse and it paid off. I gave him a chance to go and win it and he did just that.
'It obviously helps when you've got a horse with ability but I think that showed today because he was able to cruise across, have cover for the first half and then from there on in it was a matter of point and shoot.'
Brave One, who is by Team Hawkes former Group 1-winning sprinter Exceedance and cost $300,000 at the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale, improved his record to two wins (and two seconds) from just six starts and took his earnings to nearly $260,000.
Gibbons and Hawkes were in agreement that the best is yet to come from Brave One.
'I think he will keep improving,'' Gibbons said.
'What I really liked today is when I rode him last start he was keen, he still travelled up well and probably got beaten by a handy one (Kerguelen).
'But today, he was beautiful, relaxed right in my hands, and he was tough. There is a lot of ability there and I'll be excited to see where he goes from here.'
Brave One continues what has been an outstanding season for the Hawkes stable who has prepared 60 winners of a career-best $11.1 million prizemoney including Group 1 wins from exciting trio Briasa (TJ Smith Stakes), Nepotism (Champagne Stakes) and Devil Night (Blue Diamond).
Hawkes, who trains in partnership with his sons Michael and Wayne, said Brave One has a 'bright future' but he was not sure how much longer into winter the young sprinter will keep racing.
'We will see how Brave One pulls up,'' Hawkes said. 'We might look to give him one more run, we will just play it by ear.
'But he's not just a wet-tracker as he showed today. He's a nice horse and will be even better next time around.''
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