Glamour three year old All Too Hard looks likely to take on the older horses again in the Futurity Stakes in two weeks and bypass the Group 1 $750,000 Australian Guineas(1600m) at Flemington on March 2.
Glamour colt All Too Hard winning the C.F. Orr Stakes at Caulfield. Photo by Race Horse Photos Australia.
All Too Hard, now racing under the Vinery Stud banner, scored first up at weight for age in the Group 1 $400,000 Sportingbet C.F. Orr Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield last Saturday and Team Hawkes is now leaning towards starting the Casino Prince colt at weight for age again.
Wayne Hawkes, representing the stable said that the Australian Guineas against the three year old could be pushed aside with a win in the Group 1 $500,000 Cathay Pacific Futurity Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on February 23 a better results from a future stud point of view.
“He might not go on to the Guineas. Don’t bet on it,” Hawkes said.
“If he was a gelding, you’d run in the Futurity, the Guineas and then Sydney, but with this colt it’s all about what fits in best and the Futurity might work in better with Sydney. The goal posts have changed a little bit.”
Team Hawkes was very satisfied that they were able to produce All Too Hard a first up winner for Vinery after the colt was purchased from Nathan Tinkler’s Patinack Farm in a $25 package deal after running second to Ocean Park in last year’s Group 1 $3m Sportingbet Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley in October.
“He’s only a three-year-old taking on older horses, which is very hard to do,” Hawkes said.
“We had a big black horse called Octagonal a few years ago who never won by a big margin. This horse might be the same – he’s a winner.”
Jockey Dwayne Dunn positioned All Too Hard near the tail of the field, making his moved on the home turn and gathered in the leaders King Mufhasa and Callanish at the 200m then had to hold off Mawingo and the fast finishing Mr Moet.
An English campaign in also on the agenda but Hawkes would like to take the three year old back to Sydney before heading off for the Group 1 £250,000 The Queen Anne Stakes (1 mile) at Royal Ascot in June.
“I want him to win a big race in Sydney and show his knockers he’s just as good up there,” Hawkes said.
“To win the Pago Pago like he did means you have to be handling Sydney pretty well.”
Even though All Too Hard has won one race in Sydney as a two year old, the Group 2 $175,000 Bowermans Office Furniture Pago Pago Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill on March 31, his best wins have been in Melbourne including a win over Gai Waterhouse’s super colt Pierro in the Group 1 $1m BECK Caulfield Guineas (1600m) at Caulfield on October 13.
A Sydney Autumn Carnival program has yet to be finalised before heading off to England and possibly France before heading back to Australia to stand his first season at Vinery Stud.
“With him it’s a real juggling act,” Hawkes said.
Saturday’s Orr Stakes win took All Too Hard’s prizemoney to over $1.7m with five wins from ten starts including two Group 1s and two Group 2s.
