Co-trainer John Hawkes has revealed that talented sprinters Deep Field and Chautauqua are both likely to trial in the next week as they move one step close to a return to racing.

Deep Field is moving closer to a return to racing and is set to trial within the next fortnight. Photo by: Steve Hart

Deep Field and Chautauqua were two of the star sprinters of the 2014 Spring Racing Carnival and were both sent to the spelling paddock after winning the Group 2 Salinger Stakes (1200m) and finishing second in the Group 1 Darley Classic (1200m) respectively.

Hawkes told Racing Ahead that both horses have thrived during their stint in the spelling paddock and he said that both gallopers will have their work increased ahead of a barrier trial within the next fortnight.

“They have both spelled really well and they have both come back really well,” Hawkes said.

“They are both really high quality horses.

“The next week or two they will need to smarten up, we will smarten them up and they will be ready to trial in a week or so.

“When we get back to New Zealand we will work out where we want to trial them and then we will step them up.

“Nothing is in concrete and we try to get our horses reasonably fit before we decide where we really want to go.

“There are a lot of nice races for them.”

Deep Field has recorded five wins from as many starts since he made his racing debut with a ten lengths victory in the Abbott & Pitstock Plumbing Maiden (1100m) at Gosford on June 20 and as a full brother to Caulfield Guineas winner Shooting To Win is one of the most valuable stallion prospects in Australia.

The Hawkes team have played a key role in developing leading stallions like Lonhro and All Too Hard and Hawkes he is very keen to win a Group 1 event with Deep Field to increase his value when he retired to stud.

“The ultimate is obviously to win a Group 1 with him,” Hawkes said.

“He is a very valuable entire, it is unfortunate Northern Meteor is not with us, but it just makes him more valuable again.

“If he could get to the top level and win at the top level it just makes the horse more expensive in some regards and it is good for the industry to.

“We have been lucky enough to make quite a few stallions and hopefully we will make some more in the future.

“He is hot property at the present, but he is just a lovely individual and he just has that one more step to go.”

Team Hawkes are chasing their first victory at Group 1 level since Mossfun took out the Group 1 Golden Slipper (1200m) at Rosehill Gardens last March.