Cliff Brown would prefer to erase numerous races from Von Hauke’s record, including last year’s Golden Mile, and for a brief moment on Saturday, he worried the 2026 version might join that list.
However, in contrast to the previous year when the often-unfortunate gelding faced traffic issues throughout the straight and finished fourth, beaten by 1-1/2 lengths, this time he found the openings at the right time to charge to an exciting victory in the $200,000 Listed contest.
The trainer has grown accustomed to tense moments while watching the six-year-old compete, and he was relieved to witness the late developer receive the luck he needed for a victory Brown viewed as well-earned.
“I thought it might be history repeating itself, that’s for sure,” Brown said when asked his thoughts in the run.
“Good on him. He’s a lovely horse and he seems to be getting better.
“I think mentally he’s better. Physically I think they take time, but mentally he’s a lot better. He still overraced a little bit, but he’s far better than he was.”
Starting at $11 in Bendigo, Von Hauke secured his fifth career success from 27 outings by threading through the field to take the lead inside the last 100m and hold off a strong finish from Wonder Boy ($4.60) in the 1600m feature.
The resuming stayer Shockletz ($12) made a strong impression closing into third, just a half-length further behind.
This triumph marked Von Hauke’s first win since another dramatic score in the Group 2 Crystal Mile on Cox Plate Day, with jockey Harry Coffey praising the horse’s ability.
“He’s got a great little turn of foot, he just needs races run to suit,” Coffey said.
“He was the best horse in the race, he just needed things to be run how he likes, it was and we’ve seen how good he is.”
According to Brown, Von Hauke is likely bound for Queensland’s Winter Carnival next, without a fixed itinerary, though he left open the possibility of stepping back to 1400m for the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap in early June.
Explore the Australian betting sites for top odds on the Golden Mile markets.
