 Despite scoring his second consecutive metropolitan
win the John Hawkes trained Leather Lane had been labelled as "nothing special"
by Hawkes' son and Melbourne foreman Wayne after a soft win at Moonee Valley on Saturday.Leather Lane started a short priced favourite in the Night Racing
January 10 Handicap (2040m) after a runaway win at Flemington on December 23.
But Wayne Hawkes isn't predicting an overly bright future for
the Encores gelding.
"Look he's a very nice horse who is going to win more
races, but he's certainly no star and he's nothing really special," he said.
Despite this feeling by the conservative foreman, the gelding
will be targetted toward a Group One event in a few months time.
"We would look at a race like the South Australian Derby
in Adelaide in May," Hawkes said.
"Whether he's up to that class is not yet known. He
really hasn't beaten a lot in his past two races," he added.
Winning jockey Brendan Fenech, who has been aboard for both
wins, said after the race he didn't seem as comfortable in his latest effort.
"He raced a lot keener than the other day," Fenech
told Hawkes.
Connections also feel the gelding may not have been as well
suited on the tighter Moonee Valley circuit.
"He is a big striding horse and I think he would be
better suited at a track like Flemington," Hawkes said.
Flemington was the scene of the gelding's previous run, when
he never got out of second gear in his ten length demolition of My Queen over 2000 metres.
Hawkes said Leather Lane would now head for a break before
being set for the campaign in Adelaide, the city where Hawkes' father John began training
early in his career. |
