By Ray Hickson
Clarry Conners says it’s a “privilege” to be asked to train a blueblood like The Hawkesbury and is confident the filly can do enough at her namesake course on Wednesday to force her way into the Group 1 Surround Stakes.
The daughter of Frankel and More Joyous holds several Group 1 nominations through the autumn and Conners said the Clarendon Tavern Handicap (1300m) might only be a benchmark 64 but it’s an important stepping stone.
Veteran trainer Clarry Conners.Credit: Tertius Pickard
“I was privileged to have her, I’m very thankful to have a horse of her breeding and the responsibility of looking after a horse of her value comes into thought too,” Conners said.
“She shows a lot of promise.
“I’m going there thinking that she can win and she’ll run in the Surround then and go through the normal fillies campaign.”
The Hawkesbury made an impressive debut on a heavy track at Kembla Grange back in November, scoring by 3½ lengths.
Conners then elected to give her a break and she returned at Newcastle on February 3 as a short-priced favourite and went down by half a length in a performance the trainer said he can forgive.
“Kembla was soft and Newcastle was very hard, it went against her a bit being a big filly,” he said.
“She was going to beat them and just didn’t like the hard track.”
Nash Rawiller heads to Hawkesbury to ride the filly for the first time in a race and Conners has laid out a somewhat traditional path through the carnival should he get the result he anticipates.
The filly holds a host of Group 1 nominations through the carnival and Conners said the Group 3 Kembla Grange Classic (1600m) and Group 1 Vinery Stud Stakes (2000m) are the steps into the Group 1 Australian Oaks (2400m).
The Surround Stakes (1400m) is run at Randwick on Saturday week so there’s a bit on the line on Wednesday.
“I’ve got to get her benchmark up, otherwise she won’t get a run,” Conners said.
“I had her in the Vanity in Melbourne, but the track was hard there. I thought the 1200m [Light Fingers Stakes] was a bit nippy for her so we decided to pull the pin on them and go to Hawkesbury.”
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