Deep Field keeps unbeaten record intact

Wednesday 9 July 2014, 4:59pm

John Hawkes was more focused on education rather than anything too ambitious after Deep Field delivered as one of the shortest-priced Sydney favourites of the season at Canterbury.

Backing up a 10-length win at Gosford with a 4-1/2 length stroll in the TAB Quaddie Handicap (1100m) on Wednesday, Deep Field confirmed an off-season boom that the usually hard-marking Hawkes didn't try to downplay.

Deep Field went out at $1.09 after bookmakers bet $1.14, making him one of the hottest favourites to win in Sydney since Black Caviar was in town.

"He's got a great turn of foot, that's what he does and he's got a really, really bright future," Hawkes said.

But Hawkes insists Deep Field needs to become a kinder racehorse to reach his potential despite producing rare acceleration for a midweek winner under Melbourne jockey Dwayne Dunn.

"If he is going to go to the top level he's got to switch off," Hawkes said.

Dunn said the result was never in doubt despite Deep Field having an over-zealous attitude.

"It was probably pretty painless once I found the front, even though he still did a bit wrong," Dunn said.

"As John said to me before the race we're still trying to teach him because there are bigger and better things in front of him."

The late Guy Walter's influence on Sydney racing continued as Sam Clipperton all but sealed the Sydney apprentices' title.

Bush galloper Strictly Concert led in a quinella for two ex-Walter-trained horses in the More Than Ready Handicap (1550m).

Strictly Concert, trained at Tamworth by Mark Mason, finished over the top of Dragon Flyer, who was the last winner trained by Walter and having his first start for John Thompson.

Clipperton, who has been granted a two-week extension on his time as an apprentice, has a seven-win lead over suspended rider Serg Lisnyy.

Mason said he was guided by the advice of a much older jockey in giving Strictly Concert his chance in the city.

"It's a long way to come from Tamworth to find out if he can run the distance but Robert Thompson assured me he would get it," Mason said.

– AAP

Latest News

Prime Thoroughbreds - We have a Host of Leaders in our Team

Tuesday, 29 June 2021

Prime Thor­ough­bred’s cur­rent rac­ing team is putt­ing to­gether quite a re­cord. We have 22 hors­es that have raced in our team at pre­sent. Six­teen of th­ese are win­n­ers in­clud­ing the Stakes win­n­ing trio Ru­bisa­ki, Fituese and Xtreme­time with Miss Di­vine Em and Miss In Charge run­n­ing 4th in Stakes races. This sees a stakes win­n­er to win­n­er ra­tio of 18.75% with a stake’s per­formed to win­n­er ra­tio of 31.25%. Th­ese are ex­cep­tio­n­al fig­ures.   More »

Freedmans land maiden Group One win

Saturday, 27 February 2021

Un­der-rat­ed fil­ly For­bid­den Love has emerged as an au­tumn car­ni­val smokey with a bril­liant per­for­mance to win the Sur­round Stakes at Rand­wick.  More »

Capriccio completes Damian Lane treble

Saturday, 27 February 2021

In a big day for coun­try-trained hors­es, War­r­nam­bool fil­ly Capric­cio has tak­en out the In­glis Dash for Daniel Bow­man.  More »

More news headlines »