Promising Spring contender Showtime has arrived in Melbourne in top condition and is ready to perform at his best in the 2018 Group 2 $200,000 Sir John Monash P.B. Lawrence Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on Saturday.
Showtine, above, has arrived in Melbourne in great shape ahead of the P.B. Lawrence Stakes at Caulfield. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.
Co-trainer Wayne Hawkes, who trains in partnership with his father John and brother Michael and runs the Melbourne branch of the Team Hawkes operation, said that Showtime had arrived at their Flemington stables in immaculate condition and looks ready to mix it with some classy opposition in the 1400m weight for age contest.
“He has come down in fantastic order and he is the best-looking horse in my yard by 10 yards,” Wayne Hawkes told racing.com.
“He came down this morning and he looks enormous.
“They’ve got him in fine form coming down from Sydney. The weather is a bit better up there so that certainly helps but looks-wise, he’s on the money.”
Showtime is coming off a first up run in the Group 2 $200,000 Mostyn Copper Group Missile Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on August 4 and the stable was happy with his fifth placing behind the two favourites Pierata and Kementari.
“He was in the deep end with the top-notch horses and we’ll see how the form franks up with a lot of them running again in Sydney (in the Winx Stakes),” Hawkes said.
“His run wasn’t bad the other day – he probably just hit a bit of a flat spot.
“But they (opposition) are as good as what’s around. Pierata beat Kementari and he’s in a race against the great mare (Winx) and you know what, he’s going to run a great race Kementari so that will frank the form where it’s at.”
Showtime will race with a tongue tie for the first time and will jump from barrier eight in the sixteen horse P.B. Lawrence Stakes field with Dwayne Dunn in the saddle.
Dunn has been on Showtime’s back on two previous occasions for a second in the Listed $120,000 Valley Pearl (1200m) at The Valley during the Autumn of his two year old season in 2017 and a gallant third as a three year old behind Brave Smash and Tosen Stardom in the Group 1 $500,000 italktravel Futurity Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield during the 2018 Melbourne Autumn Carnival.
Pre-post betting for the P.B. Lawrence Stakes at Ladbrokes.com.au has seen Showtime’s price halved from $14 to $7 on Friday afternoon just behind the $5 favourite Grunt and last year’s winner Hartnell at $6.
