Talented miler Toydini has joined the stable of Team Hawkes and has begun pre-training for his 2014 Spring Racing Carnival campaign.
Team Hawkes is yet to decide the 2014 Spring Racing Carnival for talented galloper Toydini. Photo by: Steve Hart
Toydini was previously prepared by recently deceased trainer Guy Walter and has been one of the most consistent performers in Group 1 handicap races over a mile in the past twelve months.
The Bernardini gelding won the Group 3 Cameron Handicap (1500m), finished third in the Group 1 Epsom Handicap (1600m) and won the Group 2 Crystal Mile (1600m) during the 2013 Spring Racing Carnival and was far from disgraced at weight-for-age level during his autumn campaign.
Toydini is yet to breakthrough for a victory at the highest level of racing and Michael Hawkes told Racing Victoria that his stable will be chasing a maiden Group 1 win with the rising five-year-old.
“He’s in pre-training at the moment, he has another week or so to go and then he’ll be back in the stables,” Hawkes said.
“It was an unfortunate way to get the horses under the circumstances, but someone’s got to train him and obviously they elected us.
“We were happy to take him on because of the circumstances.
“He’s a horse with form and he’s got the runs on the board and has been there abouts before, so hopefully we can get that little bit more out of him and take him to the next level.”
Toydini competed in races like the Epsom Handicap and Group 1 Emirates Stakes (1600m) during the 2014 Spring Racing Carnival, but his solid sixth place finish in the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) at Royal Randwick on April 19 showed that he is capable of being competitive when stepped up in trip and under weight-for-age conditions.
Hawkes said that he is yet to decide on any spring targets for Toydini and will wait until he begins proper preparations before they plot a path through the spring.
“I really want to get him in the stables and have a look at him first,” he said.
“It’s different when you see horses on the TV or when you’re at the races than when you actually get your hands on them and get to have a look at them and that’s what I want to do.
“I want to get him in the stables and take it from there.”
Toydini is currently available at odds of $17 in the 2014 Cox Plate betting market with [ladbrokes].
