Team Hawkes are thrilled with how their Group 2 winner Deep Field is spelling ahead of an autumn return where the up-and-coming stallion will target the Group 1 sprint features including the 2015 TJ Smith Stakes in April.

Deep Field (front) will be set for the Group 1 Sydney sprints in the autumn. Photo: Sarah Ebbett.

A four-year-old son of the ill-fated Northern Meteor and a brother to this year’s Caulfield Guineas winner Shooting To Win, Deep Field was sent out to the paddock following his breakthrough Group race success at Flemington on Victoria Derby Day.

There he overcame the outside barrier 10 draw to beat home Gai Waterhouse’s class mare Driefontein in the Group 2 Salinger Stakes (1200m).

That took his undefeated record up to five wins from as many starts and proved his class after he looked in trouble over the closing stages but held on to win by a length.

A length is his narrowest victory to date with Deep Field having emphatically defeated his rivals in all four of his other starts including a 10 length win on debut at Gosford back in June.

His other black type success was a fortnight before the Salinger when Brenton Avdulla guided him to an explosive three length success over That’s A Good Idea in the Listed Lightning Stakes (1100m) at Randwick.

Thriving on his break, co-trainer Michael Hawkes is confident he’ll come back an even more impressive horse in the Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival.

“He’s enjoying his spell and looks fantastic – he’s put on weight and we’re very happy,” he told Racent.

His next preparation will see him chase Group 1 glory with the major sprints on the agenda including the $400,000 Group 1 The Galaxy (1100m) at Rosehill Gardens in March and the following month’s $2.25 million Group 1 TJ Smith Stakes (1200m) at Royal Randwick.

“We’ll get him back and see how he goes but he’ll be in those sprints (The Galaxy, TJ Smith Stakes),” Hawkes said.

“Where he starts and where he stops are two different things but for him it’s about keeping him intact because he’s a stallion and worth a lot of money at the moment.”

Stay tuned to Races.com.au over the coming months for all the latest on the upcoming autumn features.

Futures betting on some of next year’s majors will be opening shortly at Ladbrokes.com.au so make sure you have an account open with the country’s leading bookie to get in on the action!