Top Sydney jockey Nash Rawiller is heading for another huge payday at Randwick tomorrow with top chances in all three Group 1s.
Nash Rawiller will ride top chances in all three Group 1 races at Royal Randwick tomorrow - photo (c) Steve Hart
Rawiller has already ridden three Group 1 winners over the Sydney Autumn Carnival, Pierro in the Golden Slipper, More Joyous in the Queen Of The Turf and Laser Hawk in the Rosehill Guineas, all for Gai Waterhouse as well as Foxwedge for John O’Shea in the William Reid at Moonee Valley all in the last month.
Tomorrow Rawiller will be teaming up with Waterhouse again with Pierro in the Group 1 $500,000 Inglis Sires Produce Stakes (1400m) and Laser Hawk in the Group 1 $1.5m David Jones Australian Derby (2400m).
And he will be aboard Foxwedge again in the Group 1 $1m Darley T J Smith (1200m).
All three Group 1 rides have great chances in races that will provide a lot of interest on a tremendous day of racing.
“Laser Hawk has probably come from off the radar a bit but everyone in the stable who works closely with this horse knew how good he could be,” Rawiller said.
“We have had the Derby in mind for him for about a year now.”
“Foxwedge is a really exciting prospect and I’m looking forward to riding him. He proved to everyone last start just how good he is by beating Hay List. The penny has dropped with him and he has become the racehorse I always thought he would be.”
“Pierro is the benchmark two-year-old, he won the Golden Slipper and they can’t take that off him. He hasn’t got a lot to prove but he is a very genuine colt.”
Rawiller takes nothing for granted and says it is hard work from himself and the team at the Waterhouse stables that has put him in this great position of being able to ride multiple winners at the elite level.
“It’s taken a lot of work to make it happen this year and it goes back to the track riders,” Rawiller said.
“Gai’s left nothing to chance trying to make this happen like she has done in the past and it has been quite amazing the carnival we have had so far.”
Rawiller has been particularly impressed with the improvement of Laser Hawk over the Autumn, but it was not at all surprising to the stable, being a half brother to Waterhouse’s six time Group 1 winner Desert War.
“He’s come a really long way in a very short time,” Rawiller said.
“He’s always given the indication that he could get to something like the Derby and it is great to see him living up to his potential.”
One of the highlights of the day will be the clash between Golden Slipper winner Pierro and the Hawkes trained All Too Hard.
Both colts are undefeated and a Golden Slipper clash was avoided when Hawkes decided to miss the Slipper with All Too Hard and keep him for this week’s Sires’ Produce, but Rawiller said that Pierro had come through the run in good shape.
“I wish it all happened last week,” Rawiller said.
“I’m sure the race would have taken a bit out of him but he looks really well. He has always given me the indication that a mile would be right up his alley.”
Three year old Foxwedge will come up against speedster Rain Affair in the T J Smith and this will also be an interesting battle.
Rawiller feels that Foxwedge will appreciate having a leader to chase and hopes he will be able to run Rain Affair down like he did when he overhauled Hay List in the William Reid.
