Those “what-if” moments are what keep many up at night in racing and for Michael Hawkes, The Everest has been that type of race.
He, along with legendary father John and brother Wayne, prepared the great Chautauqua for the first Everest, where the three-time TJ Smith winner finished fourth in a leader-dominated race.
Masked Crusader will look to go one better in The Everest than last year as he lines at Randwick on Saturday. Credit:Getty
But it’s last year that hurts the most. In the same silks, Masked Crusader delivered the same late-charging style before falling a stride short of landing sprinting’s biggest prize.
Masked Crusader had woven a path through the field and made a late dive that left Nature Strip’s jockey James McDonald wondering if he had won. He had.
“We have set him for this race for the past year,” Hawkes said. “With a horse like him, he needs everything to go right, and it nearly did last year.”
In Nature Strip’s tour de force over the last 18 months, he is unbeaten at 1200m with margins of two lengths and 3½ lengths in his two TJ Smiths and a 3¼ length win in the VRC Sprint Classic.
Michael Hawkes Hopes North Pacific can deliver on his potential at Rosehill on SaturdayCredit:Getty Images
That makes Masked Crusader’s effort to get within a head in The Everest an anomaly and suggests he can dethrone the king.
The Hawkes-trained sprinter was the first horse put into a slot for the 2022 edition of the $15 million showcase with Max Whitby keeping faith in him.
Masked Crusader hasn’t won since the 2021 Premiere Stakes when he found the firm going to his liking and was at the top of his game. But even on wet tracks, the six-year-old has shown signs he is back to his best with runs in The Shorts and the Premiere Stakes.
“First-up was outstanding,” Hawkes said of closing sixth in The Shorts behind Nature Strip. “Second-up was phenomenal.”
In the Premiere, Masked Crusader got back to the inside late and ran the fastest closing sections when third to Lost And Running in a blanket finish.
“Third-up is what he has been primed for,” Hawkes declared.
He knows what his sprinter needs to perform and acknowledges his autumn was below par when unplaced in the Lightning Stakes, Newmarket Handicap and TJ Smith.
“He was the forgotten horse at the start of the spring, but he has shown he is on track,” Hawkes said.
“To be fair everyone probably looked at his last preparation, but you know what, humans are the same, we have off days, and horses can have off preparations.
“They are not machines.”
Hawkes has been happy with the progression to Saturday and just needs a couple of days of clear, drying weather for Randwick to get toward the soft range.
“The horse is going great, and I can’t fault him, it is just about the track conditions as everyone knows for him,” Hawkes said. “If we get a decent track, you will see the real Masked Crusader turn up.”
Sports news, results and expert commentary. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.
