Hollywood Strip
JUST a week after coming agonizingly close to a $1 million bonus, the manic feature race hunt continues for Brad Hewitt this weekend.
The Goulburn trainer has three runners at Wagga today, including Isla Rochelle in the second heat of the Riverina 4&5YO Mares’ Championship.
But things really hot-up at tomorrow night’s Bathurst Gold Crown meeting when Hewitt’s unbeaten three-year-old Hollywood Strip will have to overcome a wide draw (gate six) to post his 10th successive win in the $100,000 Group 1 Bathurst Gold Chalice final.
Hollywood Strip was stunning winning the Group 1 NSW Derby two starts back and coasted to victory in scorching time in his Gold Chalice heat on Monday.
This looks his biggest test yet with key dangers Yottie (gate two), Brooklyn Dan (three), Soho Charmer (four) and Soho Trump (five) all drawn inside him.
Hewitt will also drive two-year-old filly Electricute (gate four) for his father, David, in the $150,000 Group 1 Gold Tiara 2YO final.
Earlier in the night they will be rivals when Hewitt lines up two runners – Emerging Deal (gate five) and Yirradiva (12) – against his father’s superstar filly Sparkling Sea (gate two) in the $100,000 Gold Chalice 3YO final.
All that while plotting a trip to NZ in coming weeks with Captains Knock, his stable star who narrowly missed that $1 million bonus when second in last Friday’s Renshaw Cup, and the comeback of his Inter Dominion-winning trotter The Locomotive.
“There’s certainly a bit on,” Hewitt said. “But I guess they’re good problems to have.”
Captains Knock, who still banked a $500,000 bonus for winning four of the five legs of the NSW Carnival of Cups, will fly from Sydney to Auckland next week.
His last target before a spell is the $NZ1 million The Race at Cambridge on April 10.
“He’s at the end of a long campaign, but came through the Renshaw Cup well and we’ll give NZ a crack before he has a long spell,” Hewitt said.
The Locomotive was Australia’s best trotter after winning the Inter Dominion in December, 2024, but has only raced eight times since due to an unsuccessful Swedish raid and some niggling issues.
“He won that one start back after Sweden, but wasn’t quite right after it and we had to turn him out again,” Hewitt said.
“He’s close again now. He’s down at Nathan Jack’s on the water-walker and then returns to my stable next month.
“The Brisbane Inter Dominion (in July) is the target.”
PHOTO: Club Menangle/Pacepix
JUST a week after coming agonizingly close to a $1 million bonus, the manic feature race hunt continues for Brad Hewitt this weekend.
The Goulburn trainer has three runners at Wagga today, including Isla Rochelle in the second heat of the Riverina 4&5YO Mares’ Championship.
But things really hot-up at tomorrow night’s Bathurst Gold Crown meeting when Hewitt’s unbeaten three-year-old Hollywood Strip will have to overcome a wide draw (gate six) to post his 10th successive win in the $100,000 Group 1 Bathurst Gold Chalice final.
Hollywood Strip was stunning winning the Group 1 NSW Derby two starts back and coasted to victory in scorching time in his Gold Chalice heat on Monday.
This looks his biggest test yet with key dangers Yottie (gate two), Brooklyn Dan (three), Soho Charmer (four) and Soho Trump (five) all drawn inside him.
Hewitt will also drive two-year-old filly Electricute (gate four) for his father, David, in the $150,000 Group 1 Gold Tiara 2YO final.
Earlier in the night they will be rivals when Hewitt lines up two runners – Emerging Deal (gate five) and Yirradiva (12) – against his father’s superstar filly Sparkling Sea (gate two) in the $100,000 Gold Chalice 3YO final.
All that while plotting a trip to NZ in coming weeks with Captains Knock, his stable star who narrowly missed that $1 million bonus when second in last Friday’s Renshaw Cup, and the comeback of his Inter Dominion-winning trotter The Locomotive.
“There’s certainly a bit on,” Hewitt said. “But I guess they’re good problems to have.”
Captains Knock, who still banked a $500,000 bonus for winning four of the five legs of the NSW Carnival of Cups, will fly from Sydney to Auckland next week.
His last target before a spell is the $NZ1 million The Race at Cambridge on April 10.
“He’s at the end of a long campaign, but came through the Renshaw Cup well and we’ll give NZ a crack before he has a long spell,” Hewitt said.
The Locomotive was Australia’s best trotter after winning the Inter Dominion in December, 2024, but has only raced eight times since due to an unsuccessful Swedish raid and some niggling issues.
“He won that one start back after Sweden, but wasn’t quite right after it and we had to turn him out again,” Hewitt said.
“He’s close again now. He’s down at Nathan Jack’s on the water-walker and then returns to my stable next month.
“The Brisbane Inter Dominion (in July) is the target.”
PHOTO: Club Menangle/Pacepix
