Michael Howard
The procession of prime young talent continues to impress from Emma Stewart’s camp as Jacks Hawk joined her list of two-year-old winners in scoring in a quality pace at Tabcorp Park on Saturday night.
In the hands of Bacchus Marsh reinswoman Jodi Quinlan, Jacks Hawk was actually the only one of the 10 contestants in the Australian Pacing Gold 2YO Pace yet to break his maiden status, having had his win on debut overturned on protest.
There were no such dramas tonight, with Quinlan staying out of the early burn between Tuppence and Sebs Choice before rounding to the front.
She was pressed by pre-race favourite Soho Bollinger in a 27-second third quarter but staved off the latter’s challenge to salute by four metres.
“Clayton and Emma have had a nice opinion of him,” Quinlan told Trots Vision post-race. “He only had the one trial that I drove him at and he’s had the two starts, so whatever he does he’s just going to keep getting better I think.
“I think you will see the best of him when he’s just sat and can come with one run. Clayton thinks he’s very quick, so I think that probably when he gets to the better races and they go hard it will probably suit him down to the ground.
“In saying that he showed good bottom tonight. It’s hard for two-year-olds to go 27 down the back and he just kept coming. He was sort of waiting for Michael (Stanley’s) horse (Soho Bollinger) tonight, he’s just a bit green, just learning the caper.”
It was a timely showing by the Art Major colt, who was bred and is owned by Jessica Francis, with the Breeders Crown heats kicking off the for two-year-olds at Ballarat on November 4.
Quinlan said the Stewart stable looked certain to be well represented and she was enjoying being part of the team.
“(The good ones) just keep coming,” she told Trots Vision. “You go to the trials and they just seem to produce another one. They can just all run and stay and as I said to someone the other day, it’s taken me all these years and I’m driving the best juveniles at my age that I ever have.”
