| Some names are just so familiar to our country's | | | | In recognition of Mr. Hawkes stunning training records, |
| punters, they really don't need an introduction. One of | | | | he was inducted into the Australian Hall of Fame in |
| those names is premier Australian horse trainer John | | | | 2004. |
| Hawkes. | | | | Octagonal and Lonhro |
| John Hawkes began his training career during the | | | | While John Hawkes probably has many years of |
| 1971-1972 racing season in Adelaide. But his story really | | | | success ahead, it will be exceptionally difficult for him |
| begins when he began working for the Ingham family | | | | to find another champion quite as good as Octagonal |
| in 1992. He moved to Melbourne from Sydney when | | | | or Lonhro. |
| offered the top job by the 'chicken kings' Jack and | | | | Octagonal won the 1995 Cox Plate race and was |
| Bob Ingham. Hawkes was in charge of stables in | | | | crowned the Australian Champion 2 year-old that |
| Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide. The | | | | same year. Octagonal then won the 1996 AJC |
| Hawkes and Inghams' partnership became a long and | | | | Australian Derby, the 1997 Australian Cup, and the 1996 |
| successful association that did not end until 2007 when | | | | and 1997 BMW. 'The Big O' won 13 of 27 starts during |
| he chose to begin his own training operation. | | | | a great career that made him famous for his never |
| The working relationship between John Hawkes and | | | | say die attitude and the ability to almost invariably win |
| the Inghams has already gone down as the most | | | | a photo-finish. |
| successful owner-trainer force in Australian racing | | | | Lonhro, sired by Octagonal, won the 2004 Australian |
| history. | | | | Cup and was known for explosive running power. The |
| Glory By the Numbers | | | | horse won 24 of 32 starts. Lonhro, like Octagonal, was |
| When you look at the statistics which back up the | | | | named an Australian Horse of the Year. Octagonal |
| success of John Hawkes as a thoroughbred race | | | | won 10 Group 1 races and Lonhro went one better |
| horse trainer, you can easily understand why he is so | | | | with 11 Group 1's. |
| admired and honoured. The numbers are impressive | | | | John Hawkes' first Caulfield Cup win did not come |
| and reflect a long career marked by one success | | | | easy, in fact he was 36 years into his training career |
| after another. He can currently claim 96 Group I wins | | | | before Railings beat the Japanese horse Eye Popper |
| with his most recent being a win by Mentality at the | | | | by half a head in the 2005 Caulfield Cup. |
| George Main Stakes. | | | | A Family Partnership |
| The success of John Hawkes as a trainer is | | | | After almost 15 years with the Inghams, John Hawkes |
| undisputed. He has earned over $120 million in prize | | | | stunned the racing world by announcing he was |
| money, had over 540 stakes wins, and set a single | | | | starting his own family-owned training operation. In |
| season win record of 334 victories in 2001-2002. He | | | | November 2007, he began training horses with his two |
| has also won 3 of the 4 major Australian races which | | | | sons Wayne and Michael. |
| include 2 Golden Slippers, 1 Cox Plate and 1 Caulfield | | | | Mentality's win in the George Main Stakes at |
| Cup. He has earned 10 Australian and 9 Sydney | | | | Randwick in 2008 was the first Group 1 winner for the |
| training premierships on top of it all. | | | | new family partnership. |