SAJC recognise Hall Of Fame trainer with the renamed Group 3 John Hawkes Stakes at Morphettville

The remarkable career of John Hawkes has been recognised with the naming of the Group 3 John Hawkes Stakes at Morphettville.

John Hawkes (right) has been honoured with the naming of a Group 3 race after the Hall Of Fame trainer.

Hall of Fame trainer John Hawkes is being acknowledged for his outstanding career with a feature sprint renamed in his honour at the track where it all began for him at Morphettville on Saturday.

The Group 3 $150,000 John Hawkes Stakes (1200m) was formerly known as the DC McKay Stakes and is the traditional lead-up race to the Group 1 The Goodwood in two weeks.

Hawkes has trained four winners of the race with Clang (1997), Lord Galaxy (1986), Fire Stick (1984) and King’s Helmet (1974).

The John Hawkes-trained Clang winning at Morphettville.

The champion trainer began his career at Morphettville as a 15-year-old apprentice in 1964 before taking out a dual licence in 1971-72 then going full-time as a trainer the following season and had immediate success with Toltrice winning the Thousand Guineas and VRC Oaks.

Hawkes has now trained 116 Group 1 winners to be sixth on the all-time list and prepared some of the best racehorses of the modern era including Octagonal, Lonhro, Unworldly, All Too Hard and Chautauqua.

Hawkes and his wife, Jenny, are the guests of honour at the South Australian Jockey Club’s Group 1 meeting.

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Chris Waller continues his bid to break his all-time record for most Group 1 wins in a season with Roots (Sangster Stakes) and Concello (Australasian Oaks) at Morphettville.

Waller has trained 12 Group 1 winners so far this season and is some chance of challenging his record big-race win haul of 18 majors set in 2018-19.

Champion mare Winx won seven Group 1 races to propel Waller to the record five years ago but the trainer hasn’t had the help of such a prolific big-race winner this season.

Waller has prepared nine individual Group 1 winners this season led by Riff Rocket’s trio of majors in the ATC Australian Derby, Rosehill Guineas and Victoria Derby.

Trainer Chris Waller is chasing his own season-best Group 1 record. Picture: Getty Images

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On the subject of Winx, her famous racing colours of dark blue, white “M”, epaulettes and pom pom of owners Peter and Patty Tighe, will be back in action at Rosehill on Saturday.

Jockey Rachel King will wear Winx’s colours when she partners the Waller-trained first-starter, Amelita in the ATC Bookmakers Recognition Day Handicap (1100m).

Amelita, a two-year-old filly by Zousain who boasts the unbeaten Amelia’s Dream as her grandam, has shaped promisingly in two barrier trials leading into her Rosehill debut.

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If there is such a thing as karma, then Adam Hyeronimus is the jockey to follow at Rosehill on Saturday.

Hyeronimus, enjoying a career-best season with three Group 1 wins on Tropical Squall (Flight Stakes, Surround Stakes) and Tom Kitten (Spring Champion Stakes) and the Magic Millions on Storm Boy, made the trek to Maitland earlier this week to have lunch with Sky Racing’s Gary Harley and Gavin Carmody, and close friend LizzIe Jelfs.

The jockey had been up at 4am riding trackwork at Randwick then drove to Maitland for the luncheon appointment and stayed until later in the afternoon before picking up the tab.

Harley, the popular media identity, is recovering after a recent illness and is understood to have regained his ravenous appetite.

Originally published as SAJC recognise Hall Of Fame trainer with the renamed Group 3 John Hawkes Stakes at Morphettville