Cool Parkes gets Kawi back to top form

24 December 2015

Any late race concerns that Allan Sharrock had with Kawi at Awapuni weren’t shared by his jockey Johnathon Parkes.

The Taranaki horseman was alongside Mighty Solomon’s trainer Lisa Latta to watch Saturday’s Gr.2 Kamada Park Manawatu Challenge Stakes and early confidence in his charge turned to concern in the straight.

“Lisa said to me will they pick them up? I said yes, but then it didn’t look good at the 100,” Sharrock said.

Miss Appleton had set up a hectic pace with Kawi a long way off the pace with 800 metres to run before he got into his work and finished powerfully to beat Mighty Solomon.

Parkes, however, said he didn’t have any worries and he always felt the situation was under control.

“They went pretty hard up front and I thought they would all come back to us. I put the question to him and he picked up like a good horse.

“When I’ve ridden him before he’s needed a bit of niggling up at the 600 and I was always confident of getting there.”

Unplaced at his previous start in a slowly-run Gr.1 Captain Cook Stakes, Kawi took his place in the Awapuni event to have him at peak condition for the Gr.1 Zabeel Classic over 2000 metres on Boxing Day.

“I haven’t been able to take the edge off him, he was too fresh and he needed this race,” Sharrock said.

“He’s a really good galloper and if he does things right at Ellerslie they’ll know he’s there.”

Mighty Solomon also turned in an encouraging display with next month’s Gr.1 Thorndon Mile at Trentham in mind while Tomorrowland took third ahead of the southern mare Hayley Maree. – NZ Racing Desk.

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