Hawkesbury’s strongest stand-alone program deserves to have a big-money race

Hawkesbury started the successful stand-alone meeting trend 20 years ago yet remain the only provincial club without a $500,000 or $1 million feature race.

The Hawkesbury stand-alone meeting, the pioneer of the popular and successful concept, deserves to have a big-money race.

Hawkesbury celebrates its 20th anniversary on Saturday and boasts the strongest program of all the stand-alone meetings with three Group 3 races worth $250,000 prizemoney each and a Listed race of $200,000.

But the stand-alone meetings at other venues have bigger prizemoney races including $1 million features at Newcastle (The Hunter) and Kembla Grange (The Gong), and $500,000 races at Wyong (The Lakes) and Gosford (The Coast).

• PUNT LIKE A PRO: Become a Racenet iQ member and get expert tips – with fully transparent return on investment statistics – from Racenet’s team of professional punters at our Pro Tips section. SUBSCRIBE NOW!

Perhaps the era of stakes increases is over for the immediate future but Hawkesbury is entitled to have a principal race with at least $500,000 prizemoney.

While Hawkesbury Race Club chief executive James Heddo acknowledged the quality of the current race program, he said: “I’m more than happy at the appropriate time to sit down with Racing NSW to see if there is an opportunity to add a new race to the card.’’

■ ■ ■ ■ ■

I felt for Shane Dye after he was lambasted on social media for daring to declare Ka Ying Rising a better sprinter than the legendary Black Caviar or former Hong Kong champion Silent Witness.

Dye, a Hall of Fame jockey, is certainly entitled to his opinion and whether he is right or wrong, only time will tell.

But I decided to ask Timeform guru Gary Crispe for his expert view on the comparison as he was trackside for Ka Ying Rising’s win in the Chairman’s Sprint Prize in Hong Kong last Sunday.

Ka Ying Rising takes the Chairman's Sprint Prize (G1)!

pic.twitter.com/pP4wtLWwoV

— IFHA's Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings (@worldsbesthorse) April 27, 2025

• Smith’s ‘unbelievable’ win on game-changing day for NSW racing

“Ka Ying Rising is a very good horse but my first impression was that he reminded me of Hay List,’’ Crispe said.

“My opinion is Black Caviar would be too good for Ka Ying Rising, just as she was always too good for Hay List.’’

The Timeform ratings supported Crispe’s assessment with Black Caviar earning a lofty 136 figure while Kay Ying Rising is on 132, the same peak rating returned by both Hay List and Silent Witness.

■ ■ ■ ■ ■

Newgate Farm’s super sire Extreme Choice is standing at an equal Australian record fee of $330,000 in the spring breeding season.

Extreme Choice, only the second stallion to sire the winners of the Golden Slipper (Stay Inside, 2021) and Melbourne Cup (Knight’s Choice, 2024), has the same fee Redoute’s Choice commanded in 2007 and 2008.

Extreme Choice will stand for an equal Australian record fee of $330,000 at Newgate Farm. Picture: Supplied

This means Extreme Choice has the highest fee of any stallion in the southern hemisphere with Widden Stud’s Zoustar and Darley’s Too Darn Hot next on $275,000, then Arrowfield’s Snitzel at $247,500 and Yarraman Park Stud’s I Am Invincible at $220,000.

The only other stallion to sire the winners of the Golden Slipper and Melbourne Cup was Sir Tristram.

The legendary New Zealand-based Sir Tristram sired three Melbourne Cup winners with Gurner’s Lane (1982), Empire Rose (1988) and Brew (2000), plus a Golden Slipper with Marauding (1987).

■ ■ ■ ■ ■

Racing Australia this week announced the increase of the mandatory minimum ban for any person found guilty of using an electronic device more commonly referred to as a “jigger” on a racehorse.

From Thursday, May 1, the amended rule means the minimum penalty period for jigger use is five years (up from two years).

In other major rule changes, stewards Australia-wide have been given additional and wider powers on the frequency a horse is allowed to race.

Under the new rule, a horse will not be allowed to race on consecutive days without approval from a Principal Racing Authority or its panel of stewards.

■ ■ ■ ■ ■

Trainer Ian Wilkes is attempting to become the first Australian to win the famous Kentucky Derby with Burnham Square at Churchill Downs on Sunday.

Burnham Square was an impressive last start winner of the Blue Grass Stakes and is among the early favourites at $9.50 behind Journalism at $3.50 for the “Run for the Roses”.

Wilkes, whose brother Wayne is a leading NSW country trainer based at Taree, said Burnham Square has done well this week in the build-up to the three-year-old classic.

Burnham Square just solidified his spot in the @KentuckyDerby starting gate with a win in the Blue Grass (G1) @keeneland! 🌹

Trainer: @IanWilkesRacing
Jockey: @b_hernandezjr

🎥 TwinSpires Replay pic.twitter.com/nuflNcnYAy

— TwinSpires Racing 🏇 (@TwinSpires) April 8, 2025

• Shayne O’Cass’s race-by-race tips, analysis for Hawkesbury on Saturday

“Everything is good, he is keeping a lid on it which is good,’’ Wilkes told American reporters.

“He has to handle everything, the crowd, the long post parade. The mile and a quarter (a2000m) is no issue, it is just whether he is fast enough.’’

Wilkes, 59, began his professional career working at Lindsay Park under legendary Hall of Fame trainer Colin Hayes before moving to America in the late 1980s.

He teamed up with trainer Carl Nafzger and was associated with two Kentucky Derby winners, Unbridled (1990) as trackwork rider and then Street Sense (2007) as assistant trainer.

Wilkes then started training in his own right with his biggest win in the 2012 Breeders Cup Classic with Fort Larned. He’s also had Derby runners before but Burnham Square is clearly his best chance yet to win America’s biggest race.

“I’m happy with the horse and I couldn’t ask for a better draw (nine),’’ Wilkes said.

“I’m seeing a horse that is thriving, he’s moving forward and improving every time.’’

Burnham Square will be ridden by Brian Hernandez who won last year’s Kentucky Derby on Mystic Dan and the Kentucky Oaks with Thorpedo Anna.

Originally published as Hawkesbury’s strongest stand-alone program deserves to have a big-money race