Hawkesbury's strongest stand-alone program deserves to have a big-money race
Hawkesbury celebrates its 20th anniversary on Saturday and boasts the strongest program of all the stand-alone meetings with three Group 3 races worth $250,000 prizemoney each and a Listed race of $200,000.
But the stand-alone meetings at other venues have bigger prizemoney races including $1 million features at Newcastle (The Hunter) and Kembla Grange (The Gong), and $500,000 races at Wyong (The Lakes) and Gosford (The Coast).
Perhaps the era of stakes increases is over for the immediate future but Hawkesbury is entitled to have a principal race with at least $500,000 prizemoney.
While Hawkesbury Race Club chief executive James Heddo acknowledged the quality of the current race program, he said: 'I'm more than happy at the appropriate time to sit down with Racing NSW to see if there is an opportunity to add a new race to the card.''
â– â– â– â– â–
I felt for Shane Dye after he was lambasted on social media for daring to declare Ka Ying Rising a better sprinter than the legendary Black Caviar or former Hong Kong champion Silent Witness.
Dye, a Hall of Fame jockey, is certainly entitled to his opinion and whether he is right or wrong, only time will tell.
But I decided to ask Timeform guru Gary Crispe for his expert view on the comparison as he was trackside for Ka Ying Rising's win in the Chairman's Sprint Prize in Hong Kong last Sunday.
Ka Ying Rising takes the Chairman's Sprint Prize (G1)!
pic.twitter.com/pP4wtLWwoV
â€' IFHA's Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings (@worldsbesthorse) April 27, 2025
• Smith's 'unbelievable' win on game-changing day for NSW racing
'Ka Ying Rising is a very good horse but my first impression was that he reminded me of Hay List,'' Crispe said.
'My opinion is Black Caviar would be too good for Ka Ying Rising, just as she was always too good for Hay List.''
The Timeform ratings supported Crispe's assessment with Black Caviar earning a lofty 136 figure while Kay Ying Rising is on 132, the same peak rating returned by both Hay List and Silent Witness.
â– â– â– â– â–
Newgate Farm's super sire Extreme Choice is standing at an equal Australian record fee of $330,000 in the spring breeding season.
Extreme Choice, only the second stallion to sire the winners of the Golden Slipper (Stay Inside, 2021) and Melbourne Cup (Knight's Choice, 2024), has the same fee Redoute's Choice commanded in 2007 and 2008.
This means Extreme Choice has the highest fee of any stallion in the southern hemisphere with Widden Stud's Zoustar and Darley's Too Darn Hot next on $275,000, then Arrowfield's Snitzel at $247,500 and Yarraman Park Stud's I Am Invincible at $220,000.
The only other stallion to sire the winners of the Golden Slipper and Melbourne Cup was Sir Tristram.
The legendary New Zealand-based Sir Tristram sired three Melbourne Cup winners with Gurner's Lane (1982), Empire Rose (1988) and Brew (2000), plus a Golden Slipper with Marauding (1987).
â– â– â– â– â–
Racing Australia this week announced the increase of the mandatory minimum ban for any person found guilty of using an electronic device more commonly referred to as a 'jigger' on a racehorse.
From Thursday, May 1, the amended rule means the minimum penalty period for jigger use is five years (up from two years).
In other major rule changes, stewards Australia-wide have been given additional and wider powers on the frequency a horse is allowed to race.
Under the new rule, a horse will not be allowed to race on consecutive days without approval from a Principal Racing Authority or its panel of stewards.
â– â– â– â– â–
Trainer Ian Wilkes is attempting to become the first Australian to win the famous Kentucky Derby with Burnham Square at Churchill Downs on Sunday.
Burnham Square was an impressive last start winner of the Blue Grass Stakes and is among the early favourites at $9.50 behind Journalism at $3.50 for the 'Run for the Roses'.
Wilkes, whose brother Wayne is a leading NSW country trainer based at Taree, said Burnham Square has done well this week in the build-up to the three-year-old classic.
Burnham Square just solidified his spot in the @KentuckyDerby starting gate with a win in the Blue Grass (G1) @keeneland! 🌹
Trainer: @IanWilkesRacing
Jockey: @b_hernandezjr
🎥 TwinSpires Replay pic.twitter.com/nuflNcnYAy
â€' TwinSpires Racing ðŸ�‡ (@TwinSpires) April 8, 2025
• Shayne O'Cass's race-by-race tips, analysis for Hawkesbury on Saturday
'Everything is good, he is keeping a lid on it which is good,'' Wilkes told American reporters.
'He has to handle everything, the crowd, the long post parade. The mile and a quarter (a2000m) is no issue, it is just whether he is fast enough.''
Wilkes, 59, began his professional career working at Lindsay Park under legendary Hall of Fame trainer Colin Hayes before moving to America in the late 1980s.
He teamed up with trainer Carl Nafzger and was associated with two Kentucky Derby winners, Unbridled (1990) as trackwork rider and then Street Sense (2007) as assistant trainer.
Wilkes then started training in his own right with his biggest win in the 2012 Breeders Cup Classic with Fort Larned. He's also had Derby runners before but Burnham Square is clearly his best chance yet to win America's biggest race.
'I'm happy with the horse and I couldn't ask for a better draw (nine),'' Wilkes said.
'I'm seeing a horse that is thriving, he's moving forward and improving every time.''
Burnham Square will be ridden by Brian Hernandez who won last year's Kentucky Derby on Mystic Dan and the Kentucky Oaks with Thorpedo Anna.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
17-07-2025
- News.com.au
‘Doing Black Caviar things': David Hayes does a deep dive on what makes Ka Ying Rising a superstar sprinter
Doing 'Black Caviar things'. That's how Hall of Fame training legend David Hayes encapsulates his Hong Kong superstar and raging $1.80 The Everest favourite Ka Ying Rising. Racenet this week asked Hayes to do a deep dive on what makes his star sprinter so freakish. He gave a remarkable insight into the racing phenomenon. 'I used to watch Black Caviar gallop very closely, I would say he is the only horse I've ever had do Black Caviar things,' Hayes told Racenet. 'I read that Black Caviar had an incredible stride length compared to other horses when she was let go in a race. • PUNT LIKE A PRO: Become a Racenet iQ member and get expert tips – with fully transparent return on investment statistics – from Racenet's team of professional punters at our Pro Tips section. SUBSCRIBE NOW! 'It's the same with Ka Ying Rising. 'His action goes from being normal but when you push the button at the 300(m) or whenever Zac (Purton) decides to go, his stride gets much, much bigger. 'The thing to my eye that he does very differently to most good horses is that his trackwork is good enough, but when he gets into a racing situation he has got this incredible ability at high speed to lengthen his stride and put the race away. 'I haven't measured it and I haven't done any scientific testing of him, I can't see the point. 'But I have probably watched 30,000 horses and I'm sure I am right. 'I have had some incredible and exciting moments and some exciting horses, but I think he is the most consistently exciting horse I've had who just keeps putting up incredible performances and runs that are so dominant. 'If the best track worker I've ever had is a 10 out of 10, this horse would be a seven out of 10 worker. 'But he's a 10 out of 10 at the trials and a 10 out of 10 at the races.' HE DOES IT AGAIN! 🚀 Ka Ying Rising makes it 12 straight wins, four Group 1s and a HK$5 million Speed Series bonus with victory in the 2025 Chairman's Sprint Prize... @zpurton #FWDChampionsDay | #HKracing — HKJC Racing (@HKJC_Racing) April 27, 2025 • Truck-driving hobby trainer sets sights on Sydney first Ka Ying Rising was last seen in April when he made it 12 consecutive wins, producing a devastating victory in the Group 1 Chairman's Sprint Prize at Sha Tin. The world's top ranked sprinter will race in the $20m The Everest in October for new slot-holder the Hong Kong Jockey Club. Hayes can't wait to show him off to the Australian public, feeling he is the closest sprint sensation that racing fans have seen to Black Caviar who was famously undefeated in 25 races. • 'Took my breath away': How Angela Jones wowed Gai Waterhouse Hayes feels Ka Ying Rising has already displayed similar brilliance to the likes of Black Caviar and Winx – he just needs to maintain the rage and sustain the winning momentum in the future to be rated alongside those former greats. 'If he goes for another 12 months, at the rate he is going, he will end up one of the all-time greats,' Hayes said. 'What makes a horse an all-time great is the length that they stay at the top. 'For instance, Black Caviar three years, Winx four years. 'In their first year of brilliance, I think my horse is every bit as good as those two. 'But he's just got to last, if he can hold this form for the length of time that they did, he will be one of all-time greats. 'If he gets the job done in The Everest it would be one of the highlights of anyone's career, to bring a horse down to the richest turf race in world and win. 'I would just love everyone to see him, he's worth seeing.' In betting on The Everest, confirmed runners Private Harry ($6) and Briasa ($8) are so far considered the ones most likely to give Ka Ying Rising a serious challenge.
The Advertiser
17-07-2025
- The Advertiser
Heartbeat of the Hunter - Sat 27 September - Tocal Agricultural Centre 815 Tocal Road Tocal
Music Heartbeat of the Hunter When Sat 27 September Where Tocal Agricultural Centre 815 Tocal Road Tocal Get Directions Tocal Field Days presents an annual music and food event in the grounds of Tocal Agricultural College in the beautiful Hunter Valley of NSW. Saddle up! Heartbeat of the Hunter is back in 2025, bigger and better than ever! The scenic grounds of Tocal Agricultural College in Paterson will come alive with some of the hottest names in Australian Country Music. Complimented by great food, wine and beer, this promises to be an epic day and country music party of the year. Tickets are available from the Heartbeat of the Hunter website, including access to bus transfers to and from the event.
News.com.au
03-07-2025
- News.com.au
Robbie Dolan will sing at memorial service for fellow jockey Nikita Beriman's late dad Dennis
Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Robbie Dolan has the voice of an angel. So it seems entirely appropriate that he will sing his own song Stay With Me at a memorial service for the late father of the Irishman's fellow jockey Nikita Beriman. Former trainer Dennis Beriman passed away late last month at age 78 after battling a respiratory illness and it turns out that he was a big fan of Dolan, as both a jockey and a singer. • PUNT LIKE A PRO: Become a Racenet iQ member and get expert tips – with fully transparent return on investment statistics – from Racenet's team of professional punters at our Pro Tips section. SUBSCRIBE NOW! 'His wishes were to be scattered in the ocean with his wife (Sandy),' Beriman said about her dad. 'It'd be a real special moment. His last favourite song was 'Stay With Me' by Robbie Dolan so my family requested me to ask Robbie if he would sing while we scattered the ashes. 'I love Robbie but I actually felt a little weird asking him. I said to him, 'Robbie it's perfectly OK to say no, don't say yes just because you're my mate'.' Beriman need not have worried. Dolan is happy to sing at the memorial service, even though a date and venue are yet to be determined, with most of the family having to come up from Victoria. 'I don't know how Nikita heard my song but she obviously heard it and showed it to her father and he enjoyed it,' said Dolan, who progressed to the top 24 in The Voice in 2022 before being eliminated in the sing-offs. 'It's pretty cool actually to know that was his favourite song before he died. 'It's an honour to do something like that. It's very special for the family.' Beriman, 39, said the memorial service would likely be held near her dad's local pub, the Golden Beach Tavern at the Sunshine Coast. 'He lived with me for the past four years,' the Group 1-winning jockey said. 'The hardest part for me was that my Dad literally adored my daughter (five-year-old Ella) and my daughter absolutely loved her Poppy, she was a Poppy's girl. 'Even when he was in his hospital bed I got my Mum to send me through some videos of Ella saying 'I love you Poppy'. 'They used to have this little saying between each other, like Dad would say 'Hey Ella, guess what?' and she'd be like 'I know, you love me'. 'All he did was continually mention her and I think for me that's the hardest part because she doesn't even mention his name now. 'It's like it hasn't happened. She's just shut off and that's her way of dealing with it.' Beriman was meant to ride in the Group 1 Tattersall's Tiara last weekend on the John Dann -trained Adiella, however the four-year-old was scratched after banging her leg in the paddock in the days leading up to the 1400m feature for fillies and mares. 'I rode with Dad's necklace on, although I'm not superstitious or anything,' Beriman said about her four rides last Saturday at Eagle Farm. 'It would've been special to win on Break Free (which finished runner-up in the first race) given the fact that was Dad's favourite song and he had it as his ringtone for literally the last nine years. 'He loved everyone. Dad would not say a bad word about anybody, he'd always find the good in people.' Dennis Beriman, who was a trainer at Warrnambool for years before shifting to Queensland, was a typical old-school dad who was immensely proud of his kids but rarely praised them because that's not what most fathers from that generation did. One exception was when Nikita won her only Group 1, on Tears I Cry at Flemington in the 2007 Emirates Stakes (1600m), which was also trainer Ciaron Maher's first major success. 'That was the first time he said 'I'm proud of you' and I said 'don't start that s--t now',' Nikita recalled. 'What sticks out for me is when I won on Hearts Are Better in the 3YO Jewel (on the Gold Coast) this year and I came home and he said, 'you looked real good on that, darl'.'
