Wayne Hawkes concedes well-bred colt Headwater was not at his best through the recent Spring Racing Carnival, but is confident the three-year-old will return to racing a winning chance in Saturday’s Listed Kensington Stakes (1000m) at Flemington.
Headwater will return to racing in Saturday’s Kensington Stakes at Flemington. Photo: Adrienne Bicknell
Headwater stamped his claims as one to watch through the major black type races in autumn as a two-year-old in 2015, but failed to translate that form into a successful spring campaign with the exceptional of a strong performance for fourth in the Group 1 Moir Stakes (1000m) at Moonee Valley on October 2nd.
Hawkes told Racing Ahead the well-bred son of Exceed And Excel has taken plenty of benefit from his time away from racing and subsequent return to work and will acquit himself well down the famous Flemington straight in the Kensington Stakes.
“He’s come back really well,” Hawkes said.
“It probably wasn’t his best go in the spring even though that run at Moonee Valley was big.
“He’s done really, really well and he’ll credited himself really well up the straight on Saturday.
“The goal is to get him back into winning form. The Golden Slipper form has been a little bit suspect in that there hasn’t been a lot of winners come out of the race.
“He’s going good and looks fantastic this bloke. He’s well-bred, by a Newmarket Handicap winner out of an Oakleigh Plate winner and you don’t get breeding like that very often.
“Hopefully we can get him back into winning form this time in.”
Debuting to racing for a classy win in the Cactus Imaging Plate (1000m) at Moonee Valley in late 2014, Headwater returned in 2015 for success in the Group 2 Silver Slipper Stakes (1100m) before fading late for third in the Group 2 Todman Stakes (1200m) on March 7th.
Ending his autumn campaign fifth in the Group 1 Golden Slipper (1200m), the colt out of River Dove beat only one runner home in the Group 3 San Domenico Stakes (1000m); progressing to ninth in the Group 2 Danehill Stakes (1200m) leading into this Moir Stakes.
Headwater will leave from the ideal barrier 4 in Saturday’s Kensington Stakes with leading hoop Dwayne Dunn aboard.
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