Team Hawkes hopes patience pays off with Altivo after two-year break

3 months ago 16

By Craig Kerry

November 28, 2025 — 5.00pm

Team Hawkes based much of its early love of Wootton Bassett yearlings off the promise of Altivo.

Now the stable hopes its patience will be rewarded when the now seven-year-old finally steps up to black-type grade on Saturday at Rosehill in the group 3 Festival Stakes (1500m), after spending two years off the scene.

Altivo wins at Flemington on May 13, 2023.

Altivo, out of Sea The Stars mare Toumar, debuted as a four-year-old and won his first four starts. His career, though, was at the crossroads a year later after he bled when finishing last at his eighth start, and first major assignment, the $1 million Five Diamonds Prelude.

He returned at the trials 23 months later, and after four public hit-outs, resumed at Rosehill in a benchmark 78 handicap over 1400m, carrying 61.5 kilograms to finish just over two lengths off the winner in eighth.

Co-trainer Michael Hawkes was pleased with the return and to see the third emergency get a start in the Festival Stakes after scratchings on Friday.

“He’s just had some niggling injuries,” Hawkes said of the extended break.

“He’s been out for a while and we’ve just let him be a horse. It’s just about being patient, everyone knows what we’re about, and he’s a lovely horse.

“He’s getting older, but he was one of the first Wootton Bassetts that we bought in the northern hemisphere and that’s why we started buying them because we had this bloke on the ground back at home.

“I think we paid 55,000 guineas, which was about $140,000-$150,000 at the time. We loved the breed from day one, and everyone else has jumped on board.

“He’s a big, strong horse so hopefully he can do us proud tomorrow and run a nice even, solid effort.”

Alysha Collett rides Altivo from gate 11 at just 53 kilograms. He was $26 (TAB) on Friday. Altivo carries the colours of prominent owner Rupert Legh, who won the 2020 Festival Stakes with Michael, John and Wayne Hawkes-trained Outrageous.

“It was a good run,” Hawkes said of Altivo’s first-up effort.

“He probably should have finished fourth of fifth, and had he stayed to the fence he probably would have hit the line better.

“With that amount of time off, they do go a bit out of shape, but he’s back in the swing of things and going well.

“It’s a nice second-up race, he’s definitely got the ability, but he just probably lacks that match fitness.”

Wootton Bassett died at age 17 two months ago while at Coolmore Australia.

The Hawkes have higher hopes for debutant Dr Hook ($3.70), which contests the 1100m two-year-old race. The Too Darn Hot colt, out of multiple group 3-winning mare Sylvia’s Mother, was sharp late to win his only trial, at Rosehill on November 18, and has gate two on Saturday.

“They don’t trial much better than he did, even older ones don’t trial as good as he did,” Hawkes said.

“He’s only had the one trial, everything else has had two or three, but that’s just because of the way this race falls.

“He’s well, he’s drawn great and he’ll jump and put himself thereabouts. He’s just kept improving and he’s a very nice colt.

“We trained his mum. She was very, very good and the Crosbys [Pam and Rob], they’ve been great clients of ours and they’ve got another one on their hands.”

Hawkes also has Apex ($16), a last-start Canterbury winner, in the fifth. Tyler Schiller rides Apex and Dr Hook.

“Apex just needs a bit of luck from the draw,” he said.

“He’s going great and he’s won second-up before.”