Luck hasn’t always favoured classy mare More Secrets, but co-trainer Michael Hawkes is hoping a little of it can go her way before she is retired to stud this season.
More Secrets will line up for what could be her final start in the Jockeys Association Reunion Handicap (1500m) at Rosehill on Saturday and Hawkes would love to see her bow out a winner.
The seven-year-old has given her owners plenty of highs, placing four times at stakes level, highlighted by her Group 1 third behind Atishu and Hope In Your Heart in last year’s Queen Of The Turf Stakes.
But as a natural backmarker, there have also been some near-misses and hard luck stories.
“When you’re a backmarker it’s always hard,” Michael Hawkes said.
“She just needs that cart up (into a race) and she loves wet ground. She has probably had some bad barriers, drier tracks, and that has unfortunately cost her.
“She has run third in the Group One at Randwick at weight-for-age over a mile at big odds, she has got great form, you only need to look through that and she is a great chance again.
“She may head to stud after this run so we’ll hopefully go out on a winning note.”
Placed in the Guy Walter Stakes first-up in March, More Secrets campaigned during the Sydney autumn before finishing midfield in the Group 1 Tattersall’s Tiara (1400m) at Eagle Farm.
Appreciating a significant drop in grade, she just missed when closing quickly for second to Saturday’s rival Jojo Was A Man in the Winter Challenge (1500m) at Rosehill last month.
Hawkes said the mare had trained on well and he was buoyed by Tim Clark’s decision to stick with her.
“Her effort was really good, she hit the line super,” Hawkes said.
“She was probably a little bit stiff not to win. She didn’t get the cart up on the corner that she should have, but Tim rode her perfectly and he is back on her again.”
Stablemate Stromboli will be chasing an emotional win when he resumes in the Jockeys Celebration Day Handicap (1100m) following the passing this week of his owner and breeder George Altomonte.
Altomonte, who established Corumbene Stud in NSW’s central west, was involved with many great horses, breeding 2008 Golden Slipper winner Sebring while racing and breeding 2013 victor Overreach.
Stromboli, who sports Altomonte’s well-known orange and white colours with brown spots, is a two-time winner first-up and Hawkes says the gelding is going well enough to be a live chance.
“He’s flying, he has done everything right,” Hawkes said.
“It’s a good starting point and he will be hard to beat.”
