Well-bred colt Nostradamus has been extremely well-backed to record a win on debut in the Nursery Plate (1100m) at Flemington tomorrow.
Trainer Wayne Hawkes is hopeful that Nostradamus can replicate Bugatty and win on debut at Flemington tomorrow. Photo by: Race Horse Photos Australia
Nostradamus has not trialed publically, like the majority of the field in the Nursery Plate, but that hasn’t stopped punters taking the $1.80 odds on offer for the son of Medaglia d’Oro in the $80,000 race tomorrow.
Co-trainer Wayne Hawkes believes that Nostradamus has plenty of talent, but admits that the current odds on offer are fairly skinny for a two-year-old that is yet to make a public appearance at a racetrack.
“He is a $500,000 colt from Easter and he was a deadset two-year-old type when we brought him and that is what he is,” Hawkes told Racing Ahead this morning.
“He actually would have got here sooner but I had another horse that kicked him a few months ago and we had to stop with him, otherwise he would have raced a few months ago.
“He is going to be in the race for a long way, but they certainly haven’t missed him at $1.80.
“If he wasn’t bred as well as he is he wouldn’t be as short as he is and if we hadn’t trained a few two-year-old winners in the last month he wouldn’t be as short as he is either.
“He doesn’t know that he is a $1.80 favourite that is for sure.”
The juvenile ranks of Team Hawkes suffered a blow when Invisible was ruled out of the 2014 Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival after suffering a fractured splint bone during the running of the 2014 Magic Millions Classic (1200m) at the Gold Coast last Saturday.
Hawkes hopes that Nostradamus can fill the void left by Invisible and head towards races like the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) and Group 1 Golden Slipper (1200m), but said he is not getting ahead of himself with the half-brother to Star Witness.
“He is doing everything right, but what they do at home and what they do on raceday are two different things,” Hawkes said.
“I’ve said a number of times that you can’t judge a horse on its first start, judge a horse by its second race start.
“He is doing everything right and he is a bomb-proof two-year-old, which is what you need to win these two-year-old races.
“Raceday is a different ball game and you don’t know what the others are like unraced and that.”
Team Hawkes is chasing their first victory in the Blue Diamond Stakes since Kusi took out the 2003 edition of the race.
