Team Hawkes‘ incredibly consistent four-year-old, Briasa, returned to his winning ways with a hard-fought Group 1 victory in the 2025 TJ Smith Stakes on Day 1 of The Championships in Sydney.

2025 TJ Smith Stakes winner Briasa won the race for Team Hawkes. Photo: Bradley Photos.

The Smart Missile gelding, who won the Group 2 The Hunter in Newcastle last spring, showed significant improvement from his fourth-place finish first-up in the Group 1 Oakleigh Plate at Rosehill.

He relished the step up to six furlongs in this year’s $3 million Group 1 TJ Smith Stakes (1200m) at Royal Randwick.

Michael, Wayne, and John Hawkes continued their strong record in the TJ Smith Stakes, securing their first win in the prestigious autumn sprint since the legendary three-peat of fellow grey Chautauqua (2015-17).

“I don’t know what to say, I really don’t,” co-trainer Michael Hawkes told Sky Thoroughbred Central, overcome with emotion.

“I’ve just loved him from day one. I’m just lost for words.

“This is the moment that we dream of, with a horse like this.

“We’ve had our ups and downs, we’re not big anymore but we’ve got quality.

“I’ll tell you what, he’s a star. An absolute star!”

Briasa’s regular jockey, Tyler Schiller, guided the progressive sprinter to a brilliant victory, prevailing by a head over the resuming dual The Quokka champion, Overpass ($5), after running down the leader in the final stages.

“Let me tell you, the horse on the inside (Overpass) is no easy horse to get past,” Wayne Hawkes acknowledged.

“It’s a great race. He’s not Chautauqua, because not many are. But he’s better than Chautauqua though because Chautauqua is not here.

“The other day he had to go back to last and we all saw what happened.

“Today he was in the one-one, we thought he’d be second, third fourth (in the run). He’s pretty good.

“You saw Swiftfalcon before (in the Carbine Club Stakes), where they’re backmarkers it’s so hard to win.

“And that’s what happened with this bloke in The Galaxy.

“He would have done this to this lot last week if he’d have drawn the right barrier, but that was last week.

“This is a good horse’s race, this race.”

Adding further value to the TJ Smith Stakes trifecta, Matthew Smith‘s Headwall ($31) finished a creditable third, just one and a quarter-lengths behind the leading pair.

His form leading into the race included two solid Group 1 performances in Melbourne, finishing fourth in the Oakleigh Plate and second to Joliestar in the Newmarket Handicap.

Briasa’s victory takes his impressive record to seven wins from just nine career starts.

Coming from fourth position at the top of the straight, Schiller timed his run perfectly, allowing Briasa to surge forward inside the final furlong and claim his first Group 1 trophy.

“It makes a difference when you draw a barrier and he’s probably one missing first-up but second-up it’s great to get a barrier, Randwick is more forgiving, and he’s just a very good horse,” Schiller said.

“The Hawkes team have maintained him perfectly, they know how to win this race, especially with a grey, I still don’t know his ceiling, but he’s got oodles of talent.”

As for the runner-up Overpass, it was an excellent return to racing for Bjorn Baker‘s star, who was having his first start since his successful title defense in the Group 1 Winterbottom Stakes (1200m) in Perth last summer.

Overpass is now aimed at attempting a third consecutive victory in the $5 million The Quokka at Ascot on April 26 and is the short $2.50 favourite with Ladbrokes to defend his crown in the slot race once again. 

“He was gallant in defeat. A huge effort by him. He has led the field up. I take his victories and his defeats quite personally. I’m very attached to this horse,” Overpass’s TJ Smith Stakes jockey Josh Parr said.

Headwall is also potentially heading to Perth, with his jockey Zac Lloyd believing he is capable of securing a slot in The Quokka 2025 field.

“He has gone enormous,” Lloyd said of the underrated runner. “He is a very good horse. A turn of foot that can win Group 1s. I was a bit stiff at the top of the straight. When he got out, he really quickened. Hopefully he gets a run in The Quokka.”

2025 TJ Smith Stakes Results 

Table Credit: Racing Australia.

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