The skills of New Zealand’s newest member of the 1000 club, Johnathan Parkes, helped Fabian Hawk to his hollow seven length win at Awapuni on Saturday.
Trainer Peter Didham instructed Parkes to give Fabian Hawk as soft a run as possible, knowing that it would be a real test for the horse to jump up from 1600 metres to a middle distance on possibly the heaviest track so far this autumn.
“I said to keep him nice and settled, to nurse him for the first three-quarters of the race, and keep him on the bridle, as a lot of horses find it’s a big jump to make.
“When they step up in distance all you want them to do is relax and get into a rhythm.”
But when Fabian Hawk jumped from the inside gate all he wanted to do was run, throwing his head up a couple of times and pulling for more rein.
It was then that Didham says Parkes showed his experience by rolling forward to the front to get the horse to relax.
“He used his initiative, which the good riders do. Parkes is a strong rider and when he’s on his game there are none better.”
That Parkes was right on his game yesterday was not in question – less than two hours earlier he notched up win number 1000 of his career, riding the first two winners on the card.
Parkes, 34, became the 36th New Zealand jockey to reach the milestone, his tally including 58 Group and Listed winners, and pushing his mounts’ earnings to just on $19 million.
Didham could see turning for home that Parkes’ early, unscripted move had paid off.
“Even when that one (favourite Hanakin) came up inside him he looked to be travelling better.”
Fabian Hawk is seven lengths clear at the finish and still travelling at Awapuni yesterday. PHOTO: Peter Rubery/Race Images.And when Parkes angled out wider into the better footing, Fabian Hawk quickly powered clear, to give him his third of four winners on the day, a feat remarkably achieved also by talented apprentice Wiremu Pinn.
Didham was pretty chuffed knowing his horse had carried 59kg, 5.5kg more than the runner-up, but he was really buoyed by Parkes’ report on returning to scale.
“He said he’s a serious stayer who will do well in the future. When good riders tell you that, it gives you some confidence.
“He’s a half brother to a Wellington Cup winner in Lincoln King so 2200 and 2400 should be easy for him.”
Didham is also relaxed about Fabian Hawk tackling the worst of what New Zealand’s deteriorating weather can throw up.
“Every winter track is different but I don’t think heavy tracks will worry him, he’s handled different wet ground at Otaki, Wanganui and now Awapuni.
While reasonably loose yesterday, Didham said it was still officially a heavy 10, though an 11 might have been a truer record had NZTR still used that rating.
“It was real heavy yesterday – but the Turn Me Looses get through heavy ground – and he’ll get that for the next month.”
Didham says Fabian Hawk, who has won two of his six starts, will have another run in his grade, probably a rating 75, before he and his fellow owners “have a go” and look for a nice race for him.
The horse was starting to really come to it, had eaten all his dinner after the race, and was looking like “the perfect racehorse.”
Now that’s a statement his partners Bill Gleeson and Lincoln Farms’ John and Lynne Street and Ian Middleton will be happy to hear.