Jockey Glyn Schofield will derive great satisfaction if Hawk Island can cross the line first in Saturday's Group One Metropolitan.Schofield has developed a soft spot for the former English galloper having partnered him to four wins from five rides through a successful winter period."I love that horse," Schofield said."He's done everything ever asked of him and he's just a horse that wants to win and wants to race well."He stays the trip and we'd love a bit of rain for him because he's pretty goo
Jockey Glyn Schofield will derive great satisfaction if Hawk Island can cross the line first in Saturday's Group One Metropolitan.
Schofield has developed a soft spot for the former English galloper having partnered him to four wins from five rides through a successful winter period.
"I love that horse," Schofield said.
"He's done everything ever asked of him and he's just a horse that wants to win and wants to race well.
"He stays the trip and we'd love a bit of rain for him because he's pretty good on rain-affected tracks.
"He's a serious horse."
Hawk Island will be having the 12th start of his preparation in the 2400m feature at Randwick but trainer Chris Waller says the gelding is heading into the race in career-best order.
The son of Hawk Wing's lone stakes win to date came in the Listed Wyong Gold Cup (2100m) on September 3 with Schofield aboard.
Waller then elected to scratch Hawk Island from the Newcastle Gold Cup (2300m) to instead run him two days later in the weight-for-age Hill Stakes (1900m) in which he was no chance of receiving a weight penalty for the Metrop.
Schofield was on stablemate Triple Honour in the Hill Stakes, where Hawk Island finished fourth, but reunites with him for his first Group One assignment.
"He's been up and going for that long and just keeps stepping up to the plate," Schofield said.
"If he can do that again and win the Metrop, I don't really think anyone would begrudge him that."
Hawk Island is one of several stayers to have been bought from Europe to join the Waller team in the past couple of years.
The Rosehill trainer believes confidence and the fact Hawk Island has now been in Australia for 18 months are the main factors why he's racing so well.
"It's a big step up on Saturday and Group One racing, pressure racing, might not suit him," Waller said.
"But, hey, we've got to have a go.
"The horse has never been better this preparation and obviously he's in career-best form so at least we've got that in our favour."
One concern with Hawk Island is his record on good tracks, with all of his wins coming on rain-affected ground.
He hasn't won in nine starts on tracks rated good but Waller said the Wyong Cup win on a dead track was encouraging.