Chautauqua’s racing future will be decided in the stewards’ room after the grey flash refused again to jump away with the rest of the field in a Rosehill barrier trial today.
Chautauqua was under a racing ban after failing to leave the barriers on five previously occasions and today’s barrier test was to be the first of two that he had to successfully complete before being granted his barrier certificate to be able to race again.
Tommy Berry was aboard the Team Hawkes trained Chautauqua again this morning and the grey looked nice and relaxed on his way to the barriers prior to the start of the 900m trial and loaded into the starting gates without a fuss.
The multiple Group 1 winner stood in the barriers perfectly but when the gates flung open, he stood flat footed and watched the rest of the take off.
Team Hawkes’ head trainer John Hawkes will no doubt have to front Racing New South Wales again to determine the racing future of Chautauqua.
Part owner Rupert Legh hasn’t lost faith in Chautuaqua or the Hawkes Team of John, Michael and Wayne and told Sky Racing’s Racing HQ that he was keen to push ahead to try to get Chautauqua back to the race track.
“Most certainly (keep trying). He (John Hawkes) is not one to give up nor am I and as I said on many occasions Gave Up never won anything,” Legh told Sky Racing’s Racing HQ.
“At the end of the day we will do what we think is the right thing by Chautauqua. He gives up every indication that he wants to be a race horse. He has done that in the last two weeks since his last mishap at Rosehill otherwise we wouldn’t have jumped him out today.”
“We didn’t think for one moment that he wouldn’t jump, we would not have done it. ”
“Let‘s all sit back and take a deep breath and let John Hawkes and his boys have the respect they deserve to make the right call for the well being of this horse.”
Chautauqua is the winner of thirteen of his thirty-two starts, six at Group 1 level which includes three consecutive wins in the Group 1 $2.5m Darley T J Smith Stakes (1200m) at Randwick during the Sydney Autumn Carnival in 2015, 2016 and 2017.
The Gary Moore trained Auchentoman won Chautauqua’s trial while the favourite for the $13m The Everest, Trapeze Artist, was unextended to finish in fifth place, three quarters of a length behind the winner.