Golden Rose An Option For Lake Geneva

Lake Geneva is yet to record a race win, but that has not stopped Team Hawkes eyeing the 2015 Golden Rose Stakes with the talented filly.

Lake Geneva (outside) was desperately unlucky not to record a race win during her autumn campaign. Photo by: Steve Hart

Lake Geneva (outside) was desperately unlucky not to record a race win during her autumn campaign. Photo by: Steve Hart

Lake Geneva made her racing debut with a luckless second in the Group 3 Widden Stakes (1100m) at Rosehill Gardens on January 31 and she hit the line strongly to finish second in the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield on February 28 in just her second race start.

Team Hawkes sent her back to Sydney for the Group 1 Golden Slipper (1200m) at Rosehill Gardens on March 21 and she produced another strong effort to finish third before she finished her campaign with another unlucky third in the Group 3 Percy Sykes Stakes (1200m) at Royal Randwick on April 11.

Co-trainer Wayne Hawkes said that Lake Geneva had returned to her stable in outstanding condition and he told Racing Ahead that the Group 1 Golden Rose Stakes (1400m) at Rosehill Gardens on September 12 could be the early 2015 Spring Racing Carnival target for Lake Geneva.

“She probably is the maiden in the country after running in the Diamond and placing in the Slipper and she looks fabulous,” Hawkes said.

“She is a lot stronger and she has grown a little bit, but what you see is what you get with her.

“She is ticking over nicely and the acceptances for the Golden Rose are today and she will be accepted for.

“We are trying to win a race with her first-up and go forward.

“They always say that trying to win your first race is quite hard and everything that happens after that rolls forward.

“She is a lovely filly, she has come back super, I am very happy with her and hopefully we have some exciting times with her ahead.

“She will step out in trials in the next two or three weeks or so.”

Hawkes is confident that Lake Geneva’s breeding suggests that she will be a much better horse as a three-year-old than she was at the juvenile and he believes she is capable of making the step-up to 1400 metres for the Golden Rose, but he said that the stable will be taking it one race at a time with the three-year-old in the spring.

“Fastnet Rock’s are better at three, we have a lot of them and we are very keen on them,” Hawkes said.

“It is very rare for Fastnet’s to win at two and that is why everybody was trying to get them there, but in saying that we are going to take it as it comes.

“Hopefully we get her to the 1400 and she has a great attitude to do that.

“As far as beyond that we will just wait and see.”

Team Hawkes are chasing their first win in the Golden Rose Stakes after finishing third with Mentality in the 2006 edition of the race.

About The Author

Thomas Hackett

Thomas is a passionate and opinionated racing journalist and punter who has been obsessed with horse racing since he backed Saintly to win the 1996 Melbourne Cup. An international racing enthusiast, he has his finger on the pulse of racing news not just from Australia but all around the world.