http://www.racenet.com.au/news/283/Hawkes_resigns.asp

Hawkes resigns
Clinton Payne
Wednesday, 8 August 2007


Australian racing is in shock after the announcement that champion trainer John Hawkes has resigned as head trainer of the Woodlands Stud operation.

The news came after the team at Woodlands Stud announced earlier today they were closing down their Brisbane stable “Tenor Lodge” which was managed by Hawkes son Michael.

Hawkes has been the head trainer of the operation sing the 1992-93 season when he took over from Vic Thompson and has been the champion Sydney trainer on nine occasions during his 15-year reign.

Hawkes refused to comment on his resignation that will become effective after the spring carnival with Sydney foreman Peter Snowden given the job.

“I’ve been there for 19 years so the apprenticeship has been long,” Snowden said.

“It’s been a fantastic place I’ve always strived for a good position in racing and they’ve been good enough to give it too me.

”A million trainers would give their right arm for the job and to think they gave to me is very satisfying.”

Snowden, 51, admitted to being “gobsmacked” when he first heard the news and was full of praise for the role Hawkes has played in the building of Crown Lodge to the supreme Sydney stable where it now sits.

“It’s something I’ve always dreamed of, always wanted to do but when they asked me I didn’t know how to react,” he said.

“I had feelings of both joy and sadness.

“John has been so good for so long, he walked in there when the stable was being built and he bought well and the results started to come more or less straight away.”

Jockey Rod Quinn is another long time employee of the Woodlands operation and he was also lost for words when told of Hawkes’s resignation.

“It’s a surprise to me,” Quinn said.

“I suppose he hasn’t got much more to prove, he’s done it all.

“He’s a hard man but he’s fair and if you put in he looks after you.”

Hawkes is currently fifth on the Australian all-time training list for Group One winners with 95 in total with Lonhro [11] and Octagonal [10] being his biggest contributors.

Of Australia’s “big four” races only the Melbourne Cup has avoided Hawkes who has won two Golden Slippers, one Caulfield Cup and one Cox Plate.

It is believed Hawkes now intends to set up a training operation with his two sons Wayne and Michael.

http://www.racenet.com.au/news/283/Hawkes_resigns.asp

You could knock me over with a feather right now I can't believe this is happening but I can also understand that maybe he is just looking for something different good luck to the Hawkes family they deserve what they get.

I reckon there is more to this than meets the eye.

If he was going to retire it would make sense but he is going to keep training with stables in Sydney & Melbourne.

If you are going to train horses you may as well have the biggest owner in the country as a client.

Must have finaly got sick of the taste of Chicken!

major fall-out imo

From what I have heard it has alot to do with what has happened in brisbane with woodlands closing down there but also if you have a look maybe this has been brewing for awhile as he has been training for alot more clients over the last couple of years namely Moraitis and Pistakakis I think that is how you spell there names anyway, will be interesting to see what happens anyway by the sounds they want some stables both in sydney and melbourne.

Sounds like Hawkes may have overreacted yet again.

Closing the Brisbane operation meant Wayne was out in the cold, but Woodlands put Hawkes on the map, walking out won't do him any favours.

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"Its finger lickin good" ..........he's gone over to KFC

Will

I might be wrong here Chrome Prince but wasn't Michael the stable foreman in Brissy think Wayne is in Melbourne, Maybe there is more to it and there is a possibility we will never know it would seem to be an awfully rash decision to pull up stumps simply for the brisbane operation being closed down. As I said before maybe he has been planning this for sometime now the brisbane stable closing down may have just been the straw that broke the camels back.

You could be right RI, I was just supposing, as Hawkes is known for his short fuse.

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