Airman lands 2024 Premiere Stakes boilover, beating Bella Nipotina, Mazu, Giga Kick and Think About it

Airman capped a memorable day for Team Hawkes and left some serious questions on some high profile Everest hopefuls with an upset win at Royal Randwick on Saturday.

Zac Lloyd gets Airman home in a Premiere Stakes boilover at Randwick. Picture: Jeremy Ng / Getty Images

Airman capped a memorable day for Team Hawkes and left some serious questions on some high profile The Everest hopefuls with an upset win at Royal Randwick on Saturday.

The Group 2 $1 million Premiere Stakes (1200m) was billed as a showdown between the last two Everest champs, Giga Kick (2022) and Think About It (2023), and the “iron lady” of Australian sprinting, Bella Nipotina.

But no one told underrated sprinter Airman ($41) and star apprentice Zac Lloyd as they drove through along the rails to score by a head from Mazu ($7) with Bella Nipotina ($2.40 favourite) flashing home for third, only a head further back.

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Giga Kick (fourth) seemed to have his chance while Think About It (sixth) was beaten by the slow race tempo.

Clayton Douglas, trainer of Giga Kick, hinted he might add blinkers to the chestnut for the $20m The TAB Everest (1200m) run at Royal Randwick on October 19 while Think About It is now in real danger of missing a start.

As the losing connections pondered their defeats, trainer Michael Hawkes said he was hopeful Airman might have done enough to gain one of the last vacant slots for The Everest.

“Why not?’’ Hawkes said when asked about The Everest for Airman.

“We’ve got no problems in talking to anybody.

“Look what he’s just beaten, he’s up there with them. He’s proven he can do it.

“I’ve got to give Zac credit. Before the race we talked about it, and as cocky as he is, he just said, ‘listen, we’ll win this and get in The Everest’. I said, ‘mate, go and do it’.

“So, you know what, he rode the perfect race. The horse has been knocking on the door, we just changed a few things up and here we are.”

✈️ Airman has caused an upset in the G2 Premiere Stakes and what a day for @ZacLloydx who rides a treble - and a feature double! 🙌@HawkesRacing | @aus_turf_clubpic.twitter.com/fQLtSlvhAk

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) October 5, 2024

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Airman, who is part-owned by Rupert Legh of Chautauqua fame, gave trainers Michael, Wayne and John Hawkes a stakes race double after their earlier win with Swiftfalcon in the Listed Dulcify Stakes.

It was also a day to remember for Lloyd with his win on Airman complementing his Group 1 success with Lady Shenandoah in the Flight Stakes.

Lloyd, Sydney’s reigning champion apprentice already has an Everest ride on Stefi Magnetica, but he maintained Airman would not be out of place in The Everest.

“Most definitely, you’ve got horses like Think About It, Bella Nipotina, Giga Kick over six furlongs (1200m) and he’s beaten them at set weights,’’ he said.

“So, you’d be silly not to think he would be competitive for sure. He’s always had the ability, he’s just needed to put it together.

“I’ve always had a lot of confidence in this horse, so has Michael, he’s a very good horse.’’

"Don't worry, I'll win, we'll get in the Everest and the rest is history!" - @ZacLloydx to Michael Hawkes before the Premiere Stakes 😮

Hear from trainer and jockey after the win of Airman! 💪@HawkesRacing | @aus_turf_clubpic.twitter.com/h7Bv0FdDnp

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) October 5, 2024

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Think About It (2023) is the only horse to win the Premiere Stakes-The Everest double.

But another two Everest winners had their final lead-up in the Premiere Stakes – Classique Legend (2020) ran second and Redzel (2018) finished fifth in the first leg before both trained on to win The Everest.

Hawkes said Airman would definitely be back at Randwick in two weeks and if he missed an Everest start, then he would line up in the Group 3 $2m Sydney Stakes (1200m).

Mazu, who was a minor placegetter in Giga Kick’s Everest two years ago, ran another blinder to finish second, backing up his third to I Am Me and Stefi Magnetica in The Shorts last month.

“Joe (Pride) has been very happy with the horse this spring, he’s really going well,’’ said Chris Ward of Triple Crown Syndications.

“We would love to get a chance at The Everest again, the phone is on! But if not we will go to the Sydney Stakes.’’

Trainer Michael Hawkes and jockey Zac Lloyd embrace after Airman’s Premiere Stakes victory at Randwick. Picture: Jeremy Ng / Getty Images

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Bella Nipotina rocketed to the line to finish the closest of thirds, reeling off her final 600min 32.95s – the only Premiere runner to break 33sec for that sectional.

“She was fantastic in defeat today,’’ said Craig Williams, rider of Bella Nipotina.

“I love the way she is going. She stepped slowly, was ridden back off speed, and hit the line really hard.”

Giga Kick seemed to have the run of the race but didn’t hit the line as strongly as expected with jockey James McDonald describing the gelding’s effort as “OK”.

“A common run but he will improve,’’ McDonald said.

“He is building toward something.’’

Think About It was back at the rear of the field which tactically wasn’t the place given the race was run at a moderate early tempo and the winner has run a relatively slow 1min 9.73sec for the Randwick 1200m.

Racing NSW stewards questioned Pride’s tactics post-race and the trainer admitted the Premiere was a “train wreck” to watch.

“They ran two seconds slower than he did in The Everest last year,’’ Pride said.

“It was a sedate (early) tempo and my instructions were to get cover on the horse.

“They have just gone so slowly in that race and I’m not huge on times but Blind Freddie can see they have run home in about 33sec and he has no chance from there.’’

Originally published as Airman lands 2024 Premiere Stakes boilover, beating Bella Nipotina, Mazu, Giga Kick and Think About it