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BRISBANE - Champion Australian trainer John Hawkes will continue training alongside sons Michael and Wayne once he splits with Ingham Bloodstock in November.
The revelation his two sons will join him in a new training partnership increases speculation surrounding the future of Carbine Lodge at Flemington which is headed up by Hawkes' son, Wayne.
Ingham Bloodstock on Thursday said it was closing its Brisbane stable, Tenor Lodge, affecting 14 staff including its head Michael Hawkes.
Hawkes later dropped a bombshell when he decided to quit after the Melbourne spring carnival.
Ingham Bloodstock general manager Trevor Lobb said the future of Carbine Lodge would not be affected "at this point" by the developments.
* Star galloper El Segundo will resume in tomorrow's listed Aurie's Star Handicap at Moonee Valley after coming through a track gallop well at Caulfield yesterday with race jockey Damien Oliver aboard.
Less than 24 hours earlier, trainer Colin Little was slightly downcast and virtually resigned to El Segundo missing the 1200m feature sprint.
However, what he thought was a hoof abscess turned out to be a bruised heel.
"He was pretty tender in his near-front leg and we thought it was a foot abscess but once the farrier got the shoe off it became apparent that it was actually a bruise," Little said. "The recovery time can be a lot shorter with a bruise. It's only a very small area, about the size of a fingernail."
* Buoyed by his return to the winner's circle at Warwick Farm this week, ex-pat Kiwi jockey Larry Cassidy is looking forward riding at Randwick tomorrow.
The three-time premiership winning rider celebrated his first victory since returning from Macau last month with a dashing ride aboard the Anne-Marie Ruttley-trained Beautiful Light on Thursday.
"It's good to get on the board," Cassidy said.
He has four rides tomorrow, the highlight being Stable Talk for Ruttley in the Winter Challenge Final (1600m).
- AAP
