Showtime held-off Hartnell and a flying Kings Will Dream to record a tough win in the 2018 P.B. Lawrence Stakes at Caulfield this afternoon.
Showtime returned to winning form in the P.B. Lawrence Stakes. Photo by: Ultimate Racing Photos
It was Jungle Edge that took up the running in the early stages of the P.B. Lawrence Stakes and he gave a kick at the top of the straight.
Dwayne Dunn stalked Jungle Edge on Showtime for the entire race and the Team Hawkes-trained galloper hit the front before he showed his toughness to hold-off a host of challenges in the concluding stages of the race.
Dunn has developed a strong association with Showtime and he believes that the entire has returned to the races as a much more seasoned horse as a four-year-old.
“This time last year, he probably lacked a little bit of substance, but today when I put him under pressure and they all came at him, he found a way to lift,” Dunn said.
“He has gone close at Group 1 level in the past and hopefully he can get one sooner rather than later this prep.
“He has been knocking on the door and I think that he has gone to the next level.”
Team Hawkes have always had a big opinion of Showtime and they weren’t afraid to take on the older horses with him as a three-year-old.
Co-trainer Wayne Hawkes was happy with the toughness that Showtime showed in the concluding stages and he confirmed that the talented galloper would return to Group 1 level for the Memsie Stakes.
“He has a fat pedigree and it was a good effort,” Hawkes said.
“He did annoy us a little bit and it probably took until the 600 metres before he finally relaxed.
“His head was up and he was going very keen, so he showed some good fight.
“He has a two-year-olds pedigree, but we always thought that he would better with more time.
“We wanted to see how he would go today, but the Memsie is obviously where you are going to go now.
“He went great in the Futurity and he won well today, so he obviously gets around the 1400 metre course at Caulfield pretty well.”
Hartnell lost no admirers with a tough second place finish and Widgee Turf rounded out the placings in third, while Kings Will Dream absolutely stormed home in the concluding stages.
