Personality Profile September 2003

John Hawkes

In the 10 years he has been based in Sydney John Hawkes has made a habit of setting and then breaking a series of national training records. In this profile by GRAEME KELLY, the remarkably modest trainer talks of his success and his plans for the future.

IT IS more than a decade since the late Jack Ingham and his brother Bob provided John Hawkes with a golden opportunity by appointing him to train their racehorses.
Fully appreciating the challenge to be at the helm of an Australia-wide enterprise based at Crown Lodge, Warwick Farm, John immediately began pushing himself at full throttle, pursuing a standard of excellence seldom seen in any endeavour.
John’s determination to succeed, his energy, experience, initiative and sheer hard work have resulted in the master trainer achieving results beyond anyone’s expectations.
Since beginning as the trainer for Inghams Enterprises in January, 1993 he has become a phenomenon of Australian racing by preparing, in that time, more than 2900 winners, 60 at Gr.1 level, to win more than $110m in prizemoney.
He has also played a very significant role in enabling the Woodlands Stud Syndicate of the Ingham brothers to establish itself among the two or three most successful owner-breeder operations in the world.
Along the way John has created Australian and Commonwealth records, as well as capturing most of the nation’s feature races and winning six Sydney Trainers’ Championships. He has been able to encourage supreme performances from luminaries such as Octagonal, Lonhro, Viscount, Guineas, Yell, Flavour, the ill-fated Unworldly, Over, Align and Strategic.
There have been many other headliners as well including Anthems, Arena, Bradshaw, Clang, Commands, Crawl, Cross Swords, Dodge, Donar, Encores, Freemason, Holy Roller, Hosannah, Le Mans, Lovelorn, Obsessed, Old Man, Planchet, Preserve, Sashed, Seika, Shame, Sports, Suit, Tenor, Upright, Vocalist and Waikikamukau.
The record books prove his ability as a trainer and a manager. As well as having about 600 horses directly under his control, he supervises a staff of around 120 in four states from his base at the syndicate’s immaculately maintained Crown Lodge stables at Warwick Farm.
At Crown Lodge where Peter Snowden is his right-hand man, there are stabling facilities for 100 horses. There is accommodation for another 50 in Melbourne, which is under the management of John’s 32 year-old son Wayne, 45 in Brisbane in the care of his 27 year-old son Michael, and 28 in Adelaide where David Pannell is in charge.
“All the staff work long hours and they give perfection,” John said.
“Near enough is not good enough for me - it has to be spot on. That’s why I’m critical of jockeys at times, because I’m always looking for 10 out of 10.
“However I’ve had some great jockeys over the years, and we’ve got a great crew at the moment including Darren Gauci who has been loyal to the stable for a lot of years.
“Rodney Quinn has also been really loyal since the day I arrived, and Darren Beadman and Corey Brown are riding well while Scottie Galloway’s a big help to the stable in Brisbane.”
Nonetheless, although he has had the responsibility of meshing all this together John, 54, is completely unphased, even unimpressed, with the magnitude of the success he is achieving.
“I love what I’m doing, and that’s training good horses to win races. The money isn’t that important to me, it’s a secondary thing in my life.
“Jack was a great person, and just before he died I promised him I would look after the horses. That’s what I’m going to do.
“He and Bob, who is great too, gave me a fantastic chance and I respect what they’ve both done for me. They have been marvellous for racing and they gave me opportunities I would never have had otherwise.
“I doubt we will ever again see owners with the numbers of horses they have, and with the amount of money they put in, they deserve every success they have enjoyed.”
The unique position John now holds is one he was being groomed for at a very tender age when he started riding hacks in suburban Adelaide.
“My parents raced an odd horse or two, and in those days there were always horses around the place. I think I was about three when I started riding ponies.”
By the mid-1960s he had graduated to the stage where he became apprenticed to his uncle Syd Carter who had stables at Morphettville. Even then John’s objective was to become a trainer.
“I always thought I would be too heavy to make a career of being a jockey, but I wanted to gain some experience on both sides of the fence,” he said.
He was right, and as the 1960s were ending, increasing weight led to John applying to the South Australian Jockey Club for a trainer-jockey’s licence. Soon afterwards John brought up his first win as a trainer at Strathalbyn with King of Shadows, which he also rode.
It was a demanding and momentous period in his life for he and his wife of 34 years Jenny were married as he was making the transition from jockey to trainer, and they began raising a young family.
“Jenny loves the races and she’s been a wonderful supporter over the years. That has made a tremendous difference because she’s been a great asset to me from the day I started training.
“She’s been my backbone, and having the two boys involved is what it’s all about.”
After holding a dual licence for 12 months John decided he would best advised to retire from the saddle with about 180 winners to his credit against the likes of Bill Pyers, Glynn Pretty and John Stocker.
Not long afterwards John began making an impact on the national scene as the trainer of the outstanding performer Toltrice, who was owned by Bob Heneker.
This connection came as the owner had also had horses with Syd Carter, and among them was the Star of Baroda mare Tolaldo who was ridden by John in one of her three victories.
When mated with Matrice, Tolado produced Toltrice in 1969 and she was subsequently given by Bob to John to train.
The Australian Champion Three Year Old Filly of 1972-73, Toltrice won 14 races featuring, in the spring of 1972, the VATC 1000 Guineas, VRC Wakeful Stakes and Oaks Stakes in which with Harry White aboard she just edged out her stablemate Little Papoose.
Toltrice continued on to provide John with his first success in Sydney by winning the 1973 STC Phar Lap Stakes (1500m) at Rosehill. The following year Toltrice carried 57kg to win the AJC Liverpool City Cup (1200m) on her way to second placing, carrying 55.5kg, behind Tontonan in the Doncaster Handicap (1600m) at Randwick.
“She was a champion of her time,” John continued. “I’ll always have a soft spot for her, because she’s the one who got me going.
“She’d have been a real champion in today’s era.”
That led to an influx of horses into the stables, and John was soon training a healthy number of winners.
“Colin Hayes was setting the pace in those days. I think I was runner-up to him on the Adelaide Trainer’s Premiership eight years in a row.”
John scored another important victory in 1975 when he captured the VRC Victoria Derby (2400m) at Flemington, with the Boysie Boy gelding Galena Boy who was raced by the Narrung Stud Syndicate and was ridden by John Letts.
The next year King’s Helmet who was by Goglio, won the VATC Futurity Stakes (1400m) for the stable.
There were further Gr.1 successes in 1982 when Harpagus narrowly defeated Razor Sharp and Yir Tiz in the Oakleigh Plate (1100m) at Caulfield, and the Twig Moss mare English Wonder took the SAJC South Australia Derby (2400m).
Then John notched up two victories in the SAJC Goodwood Handicap (1200m) - Adelaide’s most prestigious sprint - in 1986 with Lord Galaxy, by Habeas Corpus (GB), and in 1988 with Cameronic who was by Francis Bacon (IRE).
It was not long after that John’s association with the Inghams began. As the 1980s were drawing to a close he was approached by a group comprising Jack and Bob Ingham, Robert Sangster, Norman Carlyon, Ananda Krishnan and Ray Orloff to become the trainer for the Carbine Lodge Syndicate which they had formed.
He accepted and moved from Morphettville to Epsom, but with the venture not enjoying any particularly notable successes the partnership was dissolved.
“It didn’t quite work out the way I thought. We trained our share of winners without setting the world on fire, but it was a good learning experience and it proved to be a major stepping stone.”
Jack and Bob, who by then had been involved in racing for about 30 years, had been deeply impressed with John’s ability and lured him to Sydney to become the trainer for Inghams Enterprises.
His responsibilities when he started with the empire at the beginning of 1993 included controlling stables in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide, but although the assignment was awesome he was straight into his stride.
Over the remaining months of the 1992-93 season he sent out a total of 75 winners, including 38 in the city.
This led through to results beyond anyone’s expectations in 1993-94 when John trained 218.5 winners - 121 in metropolitan areas - 199.5 seconds and 151.5 thirds for prizewinnings of $5,678,470.
Adding further value to John’s accomplishments that year were the stable’s three Gr.1 winners in the Woodlands Stud Syndicate colours.
This series of successes was opened by the Grosvenor six year-old Cross Swords, who narrowly defeated Hear That Bell and Azzaam in the AJC Sydney Cup (3200m) at Randwick in April. That was followed in June by the win of Tenor (by Star Watch), over Paris Lane in the QTC Queensland Derby (2400m) at Eagle Farm and the triumph by Booked in the Queensland Oaks (2400m).
A filly by Pine Circle (USA) from the Whiskey Road (USA) mare Tested At Random, Booked scored an especially momentous victory for Jack and Bob, because she was the first Gr.1 winner bred by the Woodlands Stud Syndicate.
The 1994-95 racing year was even better with 255 winners, 216.5 seconds and 197 thirds for prizewinnings of $6,019,280. It also marked the initial appearance of Octagonal who was by the then first season sire Zabeel from the remarkable Pieces of Eight (IRE) mare Eight Carat (GB).
Bred at Cambridge Stud he had been an inspired $210,000 purchase by the Inghams at New Zealand Premier Yearling Sale, at Karaka.
He raced only five times as a juvenile for three wins, featuring the AJC Sires’ Produce Stakes-Gr.1 (1400m), and close seconds to Flying Spur in the Golden Slipper Stakes and to Isolda in the AJC Champagne Stakes-Gr.1 (1600m).
It was sufficient for John to describe Octagonal as a “very good horse, a very good horse”.
“He was only beaten a half-neck in the Golden Slipper after being knocked down in the first 200m and I thought he should have won,” he said.
“Then he was going over the top by the time the Sires and the Champagne Stakes came along, so I knew he was something special.
“Besides he was an immature type, and I always felt he was going to be a better three year-old.”
Once again Hawkes was right, with Octagonal having a brilliant 1995-96 season with seven stakes race wins, three seconds and a third from his 11 outings.
Significantly, he was triumphant at Gr.1 level on five occasions - in the MVRC Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley, the STC Canterbury Guineas (1900m) at Canterbury, the Rosehill Guineas (2000m) and Mercedes Classic (2400m) at Rosehill, and the AJC Australian Derby (2400m) at Randwick.
“His win over Mahogany in the Cox Plate was the greatest thrill I’ve ever had in racing,” John said. “It doesn’t get any better than that.”
The performances ensured Octagonal of selection as Australia’s Champion Racehorse and his earnings of $3,285,233 helped the stable to a Commonwealth and Australian record of $11,001,910 in prizemoney.
Further emphasising his dominance of the scene John also established a Commonwealth and Australian record for the number of two year-old winners when he won 75 races with 53 horses.
Remarkably, he easily bettered that effort the following season when the 64 juveniles he saddled won 95.5 races.
It is a record which still stands!
Among those successes was the Golden Slipper with the Woodlands Stud-bred Guineas who was by Crown Jester from the Sir Tristram (IRE) mare Foreign Bank (NZ). Ridden superbly by Darren Beadman, Guineas was able to edge out the Clarry Conners-trained Encounter by a nose.
“I’d taken a few knocks in the Golden Slipper so it was great to finally win one.
“It was a great day because Octagonal won his 10th Gr.1 in the Mercedes Classic to become Australasia’s highest-ever prizemoney winner at that stage.
“He’d had a lot of knockers, but no matter what the critics said about him he just kept coming back and serving it up to them . . . he was unbelievable.”
That night John and Peter Snowden went home and celebrated - with fish and chips!
“A lot of the credit was due to Peter,” John said. “He’s been with me ever since I’ve been here and they don’t come any better.
“He’s a super bloke from a lovely family. He’s fantastic.
“David Pannell’s the same . . . he’s been with me 15, 16, 17 years now. Both he and Peter are hard workers who are completely dedicated.”
Three weeks after his second Mercedes Classic victory, the curtain came down on Octagonal’s career when he was beaten into second place by Intergaze in the AJC Queen Elizabeth Stakes-Gr.1 (2000m) at Randwick.
“I was glad when it was over,” Hawkes said of Octagonal’s retirement with 14 wins, seven seconds and a third for prizewinnings of $5,892,231.
“It was a shame he couldn’t go out on a winning note, but he didn’t have anything left to prove.”
By season’s end John, who had been represented by a total of 280.5 winners, 256 seconds and 214 thirds for earnings of $10,726,604, was able to secure his first Sydney Trainer’s Premiership.
That was only the beginning, however, for the success which began a decade ago is still continuing - as the developments of subsequent seasons testify.
In 1998-99 with 278 wins, his horses earned $11,138,303, in 1999-2000 he registered personal bests with 318.5 wins for prizemoney of $12,123,090.
During that period there were wins in races such as the Victoria Derby-Gr.1 (2500m) with Arena, the VRC Oaks-Gr.1 (2500m) with Tributes and Lovelorn, the AJC Epsom Handicap-Gr.1 (1600m) with Dodge and the AJC Doncaster Handicap-Gr.1 (1600m) with Over, who just edged out three-time Australian Champion Racehorse Sunline.
John’s benchmarks climbed even higher in 2001-02 when he set new Commonwealth and Australian record of 336 winners - 234 in the city - 264.5 seconds and 237 thirds for earnings of $13,005,688 to better the prizewinning records he had previously established.
They were records which did not last long, for John’s horses gathered a massive $18,388,666 - excluding trophies - in prizemoney in the 2002-03 season when he had 332 winners, 254 seconds and 259 thirds.
With Lonhro leading the team, the current racing season is already promising to be even better.
A magnificent individual by Octagonal, Lonhro began his emergence as a glamour horse of Australian racing when he captured the MRC Caulfield Guineas-Gr.1 (1600m) in October, 2001.
With John’s careful planning Lonhro continued on to become a superstar last season when he registered five of the stable’s record 12 Gr.1 wins during the racing year.
Now as a five year who has raced only 25 times for 18 wins and three placings, he is poised to further scale the heights.
Yet, although he was at this year’s Golden Slipper Stakes meeting when Freemason downed Northerly in an epic battle in the STC The BMW-Gr.1 (2400m), John has rarely tasted the enjoyment of the victories of Lonhro and others first hand.
He has discovered he can perform his duties better remaining at his home across the road from Crown Lodge, watching the races on Sky Channel.
“I used to go all the time, but as you get older you’ve got to work smarter.
“It’s not a case of not wanting to be at the races, it’s a matter of being able to keep up with everything that’s happening.
“By the time the horses go to the races the hard work is done, and with the four states involved it’s easier to watch everything on the television.
“I have three teles and I’ve re-played the races three of four times over before the next race comes along, as well as doing my books. I couldn’t do that if I was at the course.
“I still go sometimes, but I get just as much thrill if I’m home as I do at the races.
“If you go the races you get more pats on the back, but I’m not into the limelight. It’s the winning that’s important - that’s what it’s all about!”
However, while he has Cox Plates, Golden Slippers, Doncaster Handicaps, Sydney Cups, Victoria and Australian Derbys to his credit along with a host of other feature races and records, John does have one remaining ambition.
That is to win a Melbourne Cup.
“I’d love to win the Cup,” he said. “I like to win everything, but the Melbourne Cup is one race you’d really like to win.
“It’s not the most prestigious of races these days, but it still has that aura about it.”