Fawkes and Sutherland enjoy a big weekend
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – The only thing hotter than the weather here this weekend was trainer David Fawkes, who sent out five consecutive winners in less than 24 hours, including the winners of the first three races on Sunday’s card. Four of those victories came over the recently installed Tapeta track.
Fawkes started his hot streak with Wild Irishman and Uptown Queen in Saturday’s third and eighth races before coming back to register a pure hat trick the following afternoon with Defendant, Palomita, and Golden Soda. All five horses were live in the betting, with the win payoffs ranging from $3.60 on Defendant to $8.80 on Golden Soda. Emisael Jaramillo was aboard three of Fawkes’s five straight winners, Chantal Sutherland the other two.
“The horses ran well,” said Fawkes, who had never won three races on a card prior to Sunday. “Everybody loved the [Tapeta] that ran on it, everything just worked out the way it needed to for this to happen.”
“I won two stakes and got beat a nose in a third one day at Tampa Bay Downs – that’s the closest I’d ever come to three wins on the same card before Sunday.”
Not surprisingly, Fawkes said he’s quickly become a big fan of the Tapeta surface.
“I guess I have more [Tapeta] horses in the barn than I thought I did,” Fawkes said with a laugh. “I don’t even train any horses over the new surface. Either they like it or they don’t. One thing for sure, you’ll have a fit horse after running one on that track, which will be a big edge if taking horses out of town. Just like the old Calder track was years ago.”
Fawkes is hoping his hot hand will continue through Saturday, when he runs stable star Noble Drama in the one-mile Miami Beach. Noble Drama won a pair of overnight handicaps here earlier in the season before running fifth in the Grade 2 Charles Town Classic. In his most recent outing, he returned home to finish third as the odds-on favorite in the seven-furlong Wildcat Heir.
Fawkes also reported that his daughter and assistant Natalie has taken a similar position with trainer Mike Maker and will leave for Fair Grounds at the end of the month.
“This is a great opportunity for her to be in Louisiana all winter with a big operation and to work for a trainer like Mike,” Fawkes said.
Sutherland also was on a roll Sunday, posting four winners on the card. It was the second time Sutherland had registered a four-win day since switching her tack locally last winter. She also won four here on July 24.
“Chantal not only works hard but she comes to the barn the day before the races, we talk about the horses, and she rides a very smart race,” Fawkes said.
Sutherland’s big day gave her eight wins for the fall meet and elevated her to sixth place in the standings, just four behind leader Samy Camacho.