DILMI LOOKING TO BOOST HAWKESBURY RECORD
- John Curtis
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
In his maiden training season, Hawkesbury (five wins) is currently far the most successful track of his 21 winners to date.
Whilst he is looking forward to hopefully clinching his biggest win with favorite Matcha Latte in the $1m Provincial-Midway Championships Final (1400m) at Royal Randwick on April 11, the Wyong trainer’s immediate focus is adding to his season’s tally tomorrow.
“Matcha Latte has pulled up well after his 1000m Beaumont trial (fourth to stablemate Probability Theory) yesterday,” Dilmi said this morning.
“He was a bit bouncy and wasn’t the quickest away, but trialled well enough.
“Nonetheless, I will give him an exhibition gallop between races at Wyong on Saturday week to take any freshness out of him and make sure he is spot on for the Final.”
Dilmi has four acceptors at Hawkesbury, but listed Is It Spectacular as unlikely to line up in the Bundaberg Drop Bear - Spicy Pineapple Benchmark 64 Handicap (1600m). a heat of the Rising Star Series for apprentices.
However, Emerald Hills (Independent Liquor Group Raceday Class 1/Maiden Plate, 1600m) and Stability and Riga (Vodka Cruiser Cup Provincial Maiden Handicap, 1300m) will run.
Emerald Hills, a four-year-old daughter of Kermadec, gave her trainer extra satisfaction when she won a 1600m Maiden Handicap at Newcastle on February 28 at only her second start.
“Because of troublesome knees, the prognosis about her racing career wasn’t encouraging when I first started at Domeland at the beginning of the season,” Dilmi said.
“As a result she had to be taken along steadily, but even more pleasing than her breakthrough is the fact that the more we work her now the better she is getting.
“The early odds-on favorite for tomorrow’s race (Ciaron Maher’s Without Peer) is running at the Kensington track today, so her likely absence will certainly help the chances of Emerald Hills (Christian Reith).
“This race was to have been run at Gosford last Thursday when the meeting was called off because of rain, and I’m glad that it has been rescheduled.
“I’m expecting her to be hard to beat.”
Stability (Kerrin McEvoy) makes his debut whilst fellow three-year-old Riga (Tim Clark) strives to overcome an incident at Gosford on March 14 when he dislodged his apprentice rider Shannen Llewellyn at the start of a Midway 3YO & Up Maiden Handicap (1200m) as a $2.50 favorite.
“I’m fortunate to have very good jockeys on both horses,” Dilmi said.
“Whilst they’re drawn awkwardly, they have the pace to hopefully get into good positions.
“Stability is a very well-bred gelding, being a half-brother (by Zoustar) to recent Flemington Group 1 VRC Newmarket Handicap winner Caballus, and a full brother to Turquoise Velocity, who has won three of his four starts in Hong Kong.
“He cost $550,000 as a 2024 Inglis Australian Easter yearling.
“Stability has had some nice trials and, whilst he will obviously get experience from his first run, it would not surprise at all if he won.
“Riga is the more experienced of the pair, and perhaps has an edge.
“Shannen (Llewellyn) is good at getting her mounts out of the gates, and Riga is a quick beginner as well.
“That probably combined to see Riga jump too quickly at Gosford last time, and dislodged his rider (he was “first home” in the race won by leading Hawkesbury trainer Brad Widdup’s Olivia Twist).
“Tomorrow’s race doesn’t look the strongest Maiden.”
Stability will race in blinkers, whilst ear muffs pre-race go on Riga.
. The nine-race program begins at 12.35pm with Emerald Hills’ race, and Hawkesbury racecourse manager Digby Nuthall this morning rated the track a “Soft 5”.
No rain has been recorded at the track in the previous 24 hours to 8am today, but 45mm in the last seven days.
As a result, no irrigation has been put on the track, where the rail is 2m out from the 800m to 400m, and in the TRUE position for the remainder of the circuit.
