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By John Curtis

Races have to be won on the track of course, and not given as handouts simply because someone deserves one!

But surely no one, aside from his rivals, would bedgrudge Gary Nickson winning Thursday’s $200,000 Listed-Lander Toyota Ladies Day Cup (1500m) at Hawkesbury with Felix Majestic ($7.50 on TAB).

The Warwick Farm trainer was disappointed he never got the chance to win a $1 million race with his stable flag-bearer at Royal Randwick on October 26 when the gelding was ruled out of the Five Diamonds Prelude (1500m) virtually at the last minute.

Felix Majestic (Molly Bourke) scores at Royal Randwick. Image by Bradley Photographers

“Felix Majestic has a funny gait and one of the Stewards saw that when he was parading in the Theatre of the Horse,” Nickson explained today.

“Felix Majestic was cleared to run but then a vet called his apprentice rider Molly Bourke to bring him back just as he got out on to the track.

“Acting on the vet’s advice he was withdrawn and Stewards requested a clearance before his next race.

“I paid for a couple of independent vets to check Felix Majestic over thoroughly the next morning, and they found nothing wrong and reported this to the Stewards.

“It’s rare for me to get the chance to start a horse in a $1m race and the Five Diamonds Prelude was tailor-made for him.

“He had won a 1200m trial at home 11 days earlier (defeating Group 2-Shannon Stakes winner Amor Victorious) and fellow Warwick Farm trainer Bjorn Baker didn’t intend taking us on in front with eventual winner Iknowastar, who then got his own way in the lead.

“I am sure Felix Majestic would have been very hard to beat.”

Nickson is taking the bold front-runner back to Hawkesbury where he performed well at his second and third career starts.

Felix Majestic ran second to Red Card in a 1000m Maiden Handicap on 22 October 2022 and then broke through next time at this same meeting (November 3) in an 1100m Maiden Plate.

Felix Majestic, bred by his Victorian owners Phillip and Evonne Katos by mating their mare Lauren’s Magic (whom Nickson trained and was winless from 17 starts) with Smart Missile, has won six of his 23 starts and will take his earnings well beyond $500,000 with a Ladies Day Cup victory.

“The owners are coming up to see him race at Hawkesbury,” Nickson said. “Felix Majestic has a lot of ability, but needs some things to go his way in his races.

“He likes to get his own way in front, and needs a good track (all his wins have been on that surface) as he is a duffer in the wet. He is in great order heading into the Hawkesbury race.”

Though the Ladies Day Cup is a non-claiming event, Nickson had no qualms at all sticking with the gelding’s regular rider, apprentice Molly Bourke.

“Horses just run for her,” he said. “Molly won a 1400m Benchmark 78 Handicap on Felix Majestic at Randwick last December, and has been placed twice on him, including the [Group 3] Bill Ritchie over the same course in September (yesterday’s Big Dance winner Gringotts was second).

“She also won three races in town earlier in the year on another of my horses One Destiny, and rode Felix Majestic’s younger half-brother Kale in his Newcastle Maiden win in July.”

The Ladies Day Cup is an open affair with Raf Attack the $5 TAB favourite ahead of Robusto ($5.50), Winx’s half-sister City Of Lights ($6) and Franz Josef ($6.50).

There are a number of important gear changes, with a cross-over nose band going back on Raf Attack (Rachel King), blinkers first time on City Of Lights (Jason Collett), blinkers back on inaugural 2022 Big Dance winner Rustic Steel (Josh Parr-$16) and a tongue tie first time on $9.50 chance Berkshire Shadow (Kerrin McEvoy).

City Of Lights’ trainer Joe Pride and Collett combined to win the 2018 Ladies Day Cup with Pecans, the last mare to win the race.

Parr’s great record in features at Hawkesbury include three Ladies Day Cups; all for Chris Waller, on Tromso (2013), Strawberry Boy (2014) and New Mandate last year.

The rail is in the TRUE position and course manager Kyle Cassim at 7.30am today posted a Good 4 rating, with a penetrometer reading of 4.96.

A total of 3mm of irrigation has been put on the track in the previous 24 hours and 15mm overall in the past week. Hawkesbury recorded no rain in the previous 24 hours and 4.5mm overall in the past week.

The eight-race program begins at 1pm with the Lander Toyota Ladies Day Cup (1500m) timed for 4.50pm.

View the final fields with full form & race replays for Hawkesbury here