Mornington trainer Cliff Brown has earned a reputation for patience, something he’s drawn on extensively with Von Hauke.
Brown enjoyed strong results across Australia prior to his relocation to Singapore, where he worked for nearly 15 years.
Upon returning home, he has maintained a consistent flow of victories and secured a Group 1 triumph courtesy of Sepals in the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes at Caulfield during last spring.
Von Hauke displayed plenty of talent from his initial start as a three-year-old in a lucrative maiden event at Pakenham, which propelled him into the Future Stars series.
The gelding has seldom strayed far from the prizes, though he often undermined himself, and it’s just recently, at age six, that Brown indicates Von Hauke has begun to mature.
The Listed Golden Mile (1600m) at Bendigo this Saturday offers Von Hauke a chance to notch another success and possibly secure a journey northward to Queensland over winter.
This marks the second occasion for Von Hauke in the Golden Mile, having placed fourth in the previous edition.
“He didn’t have a lot of luck last year, but he’s that sort of horse,” Brown said.
“When you get back, luck has to go your way.
“He got galloped on last year and then he had to go for a break, otherwise he would have gone to Brisbane.”
Von Hauke claimed victory in the Crystal Mile (1600m) at Moonee Valley last spring before heading for a spell following a run in the Champions Mile on the concluding day of Melbourne Cup week.
The gelding kicked off his current preparation with fifth place in the Group 3 Victoria Handicap (1400m) at Caulfield on April 4.
“I thought his first-up run was excellent, but he peaked in the last bit,” Brown said.
“At least now, he’s grown up and we can run him over a little bit further, as in the past you couldn’t as he would want to go too hard, so he’s better in that aspect.
“He trialled up well after his first-up run but I still think there’s improvement to come.
“He is only second up and I think the weight, which he was always going to get, is a negative and there are some lovely horses in this, but depending on how he goes, he might head to Queensland.
“He’s not far off them (the better ones), so it will be interesting to see to where he gets to.”
Check out the leading Australian betting sites for the best markets on Von Hauke in Saturday’s Golden Mile.
