Hawkes says it’s Our Boy Malachi’s time to shine at Randwick
Michael Hawkes doubts there has been a better time for Our Boy Malachi to join Australia’s highest-rated sprinter on his family stable’s honour roll of Group One winners.
As part of a carefully crafted autumn campaign on two fronts, Our Boy Malachi will contest the $500,000 Canterbury Stakes – a race promoted as a match between Hawkes Racing’s sprinter and brilliant mare First Seal.
Our Boy Malachi’s autumn has been tailored to find the right Group One target.
It has also been structured to put on hold a clash with Chautauqua, his stablemate who is recognised as a benchmark among the nation’s sprinting ranks.
As such, it will be a month since Our Boy Malachi’s first-up win in the Expressway Stakes when he fronts up for a much-anticipated clash with First Seal under weight-for-age conditions at Randwick on Saturday.
“The Canterbury Stakes fitted in well, especially with a nice easy trial which he had on Monday,” Hawkes said.
“We decided to keep him in Sydney for the autumn. He’s never been to Melbourne before and to take on Chautauqua was probably a little bit too much for him at this point in time.”
Chautauqua claimed a third Group One win with a last-stride victory in the Lightning Stakes and the five-year-old will be given his chance to add to his tally in the Newmarket Handicap on Saturday week.
But the two-State racing operation has revealed plans for Chautauqua and Our Boy Malachi to clash in the $2.5 million TJ Smith Stakes during the first week of The Championships at Randwick on March 2.
“They are going to meet eventually and they have always been on a path to meet in the TJ,” Hawkes said.
“It’s a great position to be in and we’ve just been trying to split them up and hopefully it’s Malachi’s day on Saturday.
“The stable confidence is good. Always has been. We can’t fault him.”
Our Boy Malachi is the winner of 18 races in 22 starts and two of his defeats have been at Group One level with a minor placing in the BTC Cup and a Doomben 10,000 disaster in which he had a bleeding attack and finished last.
After opening equal favourite with First Seal, Our Boy Malachi has drifted following solid backing for the John Thompson-trained mare who is chasing her first weight-for-age win.