Owner’s Choice proves lucky charm for Doyle mare in Hawkesbury Cup

Trainer Nathan Doyle’s colours proved the tonic for Kevin Hill after Churchill’s Choice swooped down the outside in the Hawkesbury Gold Cup (1600m) to give the veteran owner a first stakes winner.

The four-year-old, a $26 chance, took out the group 3 qualifier for the $3 million Big Dance under Regan Bayliss, a half-length ahead of Palmetto. Newcastle trainer Doyle said he would now look to the Scone Cup (1600m) on May 15 for the mare, which was second first-up in the Newcastle Stakes this preparation.

Doyle was pleased for Hill, who was in a Brisbane hospital on Saturday.

“He rang me today and said, ‘Mate, I hope the horse is going better than me’,” Doyle said.

“He never had a stakes winner with his racehorses for 40 years, and this is the first horse he sent me. She won her first three and he said, ‘Your colours might be lucky, keep them on’.”

Doyle said the ride of Bayliss and a freshen-up proved crucial.

“We just went back to the trials because we thought she was a fresh horse,” he said.

“She was so good first-up and she was a bit plain second-up.

“She hits a flat spot from the 500 to the 300 and she’s probably dropping back two to three lengths and losing her races. You see Regan gave her one with the persuader around the corner to really get her into the race so she doesn’t drop the bridle and I think that was the difference in the end.”

Chidiac steps up for Cavanough, Nock

Scone trainer Brett Cavanough said “everything was open” for Chidiac after she backed up her Country Championship win with a first black-type victory in the group 3 Hawkesbury Crown (1300m).

It also helped him “square up” on the day, and give his champion apprentice Braith Nock a 300th career success.

Five-year-old mare Chidiac, now with seven wins in 12 starts, looked home at the 100m before holding on by a nose over Surfin’ Bird.

Cavanough, who trains in partnership with his daughter, Georgie, admitted he went the early crow, and he was relieved to get the result. The win gave prominent owner Gerry Harvey a double on the day after Golden Straand won the fifth.

“She was worth $25,000 when I got her, Gerry will probably discount her at $1 million now,” Cavanough said.

“Scone’s in a fortnight, but the job is done for the time being. We’ll just see how she pulls up and go from there.

“We were looking at the Gai Waterhouse, the Silk Stocking, the Tatt’s Tiara [all in Queensland], you name it. Now the world’s her oyster.”

Cavanough quipped that the win helped him square up after he “did a few bucks on Wanaruah” in the fifth when he was runner-up. Nock had a double after earlier winning on Bella Khadijah.

Randwick trainer Peter Snowden was looking to three Queensland targets, if he got dry ground, with Zealously after he led all the way to win the listed Gold Rush (1100m).

Parr delivers on sharpened Skyhook

Trainer Gerald Ryan was eyeing the Fred Best Classic and a potential shot at the group 1 Stradbroke Handicap after a satisfying win with Skyhook and jockey Josh Parr in the group 3 Hawkesbury Guineas (1400m).

The Pago Pago and Rosebud winner led and kicked clear, clocking a slick 1:21:51, to win the Guineas by one and a half lengths from Burma Star. It was a third win in 11 starts for the Written Tycoon colt, which Ryan said had thrived under new training methods.

He said Parr was told to ride Skyhook like the “best horse in the race”.

“We just worked him sharper and we’d hardly ever worked him with a mate because he used to overwork, but last Saturday and Tuesday I worked him with a mate and made him chase them down and he came off the track pig-rooting and squealing the last couple of days,” said Ryan, who trains in partnership with Sterling Alexiou.

He said Skyhook would go to Queensland and likely target the Fred Best for three-year-olds on May 30 at Eagle Farm before possibly the Stradbroke.

Ryan was also pleased for Parr, who has ridden sparingly since the death of his father, former jockey Stephen, in February.

“Quite a few jockeys knocked back the ride, and when he rode the winner last Saturday, I texted straight away and booked him because he hasn’t been riding much,” he said.

Jockey Adam Hyeronimus pleaded not guilty to careless riding in Highway Handicap aboard Olympian but was suspended for five meetings, from May 10 to 20. Stewards charged Hyeronimus after he shifted out inside the 400m mark and made heavy contact with eventual winner Oakfield Alaska.

Widdup on both ends of track bias

Local trainer Brad Widdup was happy to take advantage of an apparent track bias at Hawkesbury with Bella Khadijah in the Midway Handicap after a frustrating start on Saturday.

Bella Khadijah swept down the outside to edge out Cosmeena and stablemate Audrey’s Lane in the 1500m benchmark 72 (1500m), giving the four-year-old a first win since July last year.

Audrey’s Lane led and loomed to win but struggled on the inside going. Widdup’s favourite in the first, Tenenbaum, did likewise when coming fourth.

Widdup said Bella Khadijah was taken out of the paddock to target the home race and took advantage of the better conditions out wide. He said he had also waited too long to put the blinkers back on her.

“We’ve had a few cracks at these and I took the blinkers off her a while ago, and I think the race just set up really well for her,” Widdup said.

“She’s been very frustrating, so it was good to see her win.”

Waller looks to Queensland 2YO features

Premier trainer Chris Waller added at least two to his Queensland winter carnival team after claiming the trifecta in the Clarendon Stakes for two-year-olds at Hawkesbury.

Stormy Marco ($21), a $300,000 Wootton Bassett colt, was the longest-priced of the trainer’s trio but was strongest late on debut to beat $1.7 million Snitzel colt Nations League ($7.50) and Godolphin-owned Frankel filly Fondness ($8.50). Brad Widdup-trained odds-on favourite Tenenbaum faded to finish fourth.

Waller assistant trainer Charlie Duckworth said Stormy Marco and Nations League would head to Queensland with the group 1 JJ Atkins as a target.

“He was in the trials on Monday but when it fell away and became a field of five, we said we should be running,” Duckworth said of Stormy Marco.

“He’s obviously trialled well enough, he’s educated enough to go to the races, and 1400m was a better option for him than going next week.”

The Roaring Sun was Waller’s shortest-priced entry but was scratched on raceday morning and could line up next Saturday at Gosford over 1200m.