Hollindale Stakes 2016: Michael Cahill joins party as Leebaz continues remarkable week for Team Hawkes

MICHAEL Cahill was the latest jockey to climb aboard the Team Hawkes bandwagon as he guided Leebaz to victory again in the Group 2 Hollindale Stakes.

Leebaz draws clear to win the Group 2 $350,000 Hollindale Stakes at the Gold Coast. Picture: Grant Peters, Trackside Photography

MICHAEL Cahill was the latest jockey to climb aboard the unstoppable Team Hawkes bandwagon as he guided Leebaz to an upset repeat victory in the Group 2 Hollindale Stakes at the Gold Coast.

Cahill has won many of the top races on the Coast but the Hollindale had eluded him until Saturday when the Zabeel six-year-old showed a neat turn of foot after spotting daylight in the straight.

“I’d always wanted to win the Hollindale. I’d come close a few years back on Transporter, who was just swamped late,” Cahill said.

“It’s good to do it for the Hawkes stable too. I’ve ridden a lot of winners for them over the years.”

Last year, Michael Hawkes fought back tears in speaking of his fondness for Leebaz. On Saturday his older brother Wayne represented the stable after what has been a whirlwind week for the family in the wake of Chautauqua’s Hong Kong success last Sunday.

“Michael had to drive the four-and-a-half hours back from Wagga (Friday) night and for the last hour I spoke to him on the phone to keep him going,” Hawkes said.

“It’s been one hell of a week and a half. It started winning the two-year-old race for Spendthrift, then Chautauqua, the Wagga Cup on Friday and now this.”

Hawkes said there was enough evidence in Leebaz’s form to suggest he could defend his title even at odds of $34.

Box Ticked: Michael Cahill on Leebaz after winning the Hollindale Stakes. Picture: Grant Peters, Trackside Photography

“He was absolutely gassed in the Queen Elizabeth and you just have to forget that,” he said. “Prior to that he beat Guardini, who then went to Randwick and was pretty impressive.

“He settled really well today. He normally grinds but he sprinted really well today the old boy.”

Cahill said he was waiting for Hauraki “and a few others” but the challenge never eventuated.

“I guess I came into the race hoping more than anything,” Cahill said.

“If you took out his last run, his form was all right and the race was made to order.

“They made it a good gallop and when I squeezed him at the top of the straight I still had plenty of horse and he really sprinted quickly.”

Hauraki loomed as the probable winner on the turn, but like he has on a few occasions over the past 12 months, just failed to have the killer punch when it mattered most.

“He went OK but had his chance and was probably a bit disappointing,” jockey James McDonald said.

Donna Logan was thrilled with the run of third placed Volk­stok’n’barrell and Blake Shinn immediately asked if he could keep the ride for the Doomben Cup.

“The Doomben Cup looks ideal. I just want him to draw an alley,” Logan said.

“He got checked at the 600m but he worked home well.”

Royal Tithe (right) edges out Oink in the Ken Russell Memorial. Picture: Grant Peters, Trackside Photography

Bookies avoid Impending doom after right Royal upset

A PLAN hatched by owner Evan Hartley some time ago is paying monster dividends as the golden run of trainer John Zielke and jockey Luke Dittman continues in the juvenile ranks.

The prominent red and black colours of Hartley’s Dovedeen snared the Ken Russell Memorial when Royal Tithe caused a boilover in the Listed feature.

“It’s a plan we put in place to buy quality horses and we’re having a great run,” Hartley said.

“It’s not over yet, I’m still buying horses — we bought another three mares through the week — and hopefully we can continue to have this winning run.”

Godolphin raider Impending was backed as if unbeatable through the week, so much so that bookmakers opened him $1.40 on track. He eased to $1.60 by post time but still accounted for two thirds of the money invested on the race with UBET.

For those who dived into the short odds, it was a nightmare from the start, with Impending getting back in the field then striking a traffic jam for a good deal of the straight before getting out late to run third.

“In hindsight I probably should have just come to the outside,” jockey James McDonald said.

Darren Beadman, representing trainer John O’Shea, said he was unsure whether the Lonhro colt would spell or be given a chance to atone.

“We didn’t have much luck in the straight,’’ Beadman said. “It’s fair to say he probably should have won.

“I don’t know what we will do with him now. hH might go for a spell. That will be for John to decide in the next few days.”

For Zielke and Dittman, the hard luck story around the favourite mattered little, with connections now setting their sights on the BRC Sires Produce and possibly JJ Atkins with the Show A Heart filly.

Dittman opted for Royal Tithe over stablemate Spot The Diff off the back of an impressive recent jumpout.

“She went super in the jumpout and I knew she would be heading towards the Sires and JJ, whereas the other filly might be coming to the end of it,” Dittman said.

Zielke said Royal Tithe was living up to the expectations he placed on her some time ago.

“She’s a good filly and has always had that ability,” Zielke said.

Originally published as Hollindale Stakes 2016: Michael Cahill joins party as Leebaz continues remarkable week for Team Hawkes