Two-time champion Australian sprinter Chautauqua (Aus) (Encosta de Lago {Aus}) refused to leave the stalls during a barrier trial–this time at Cranbourne on Monday–for the fourth time this campaign, Racing.com reported. The steely grey was pointing toward a fourth-consecutive victory G1 T.J. Smith S. in Sydney in April, but stood in the gates under pilot Dwayne Dunn once the stalls opened in the 800-metre trail, the second on the card.
“It's race day today and you never make a decision on race day, but retirement's coming sooner than later isn't it,” co-trainer Wayne Hawkes, who trains with his father John and brother Michael, told Racing.com. “We've just been doing different things with him–that's why he's here today, because he hasn't been here before. But the end of the day, they don't want to do it, they don't want to do it.”
The gelding has struck in six top-level races during his 32-race career and has run second or third in another seven with earnings north of $6.7 million.
“He's got a mind of his own,” added Hawkes. “He doesn't owe us nothing. He can do what he wants. He's earned the right I reckon. I've never had a better sprinter than him. He's right up there with Lonhro (Aus) and Octagonal (NZ) and All Too Hard (Aus) and all those great horses. He's a good a sprinter as you'll ever see because all the sprinters are leaders. He's a backmarker and he's never done it easily for his whole entire life, so there's no point starting now and doing it right. He hasn't died and everything comes to an end.”
Added part-owner Rupert Legh of the grey's physical well-being and pre-race antics, on RSN927, “I want to reassure everybody that this horse is 100% sound. You wouldn't want to keep repeating it. You want to get that habit out of his head. He's very lightly-raced 7-year-old and there could be a lot of racing yet to be done with him.”
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