Airman and Devil Night give Hawkes duo in William Reid Stakes
The Hawkes trio of Michael, John and Wayne have seen fluctuating fortunes of late.
Victoria's most recent triumph for the stable occurred in a Kilmore maiden this month, complemented by Stakes glory via Gangsta Granny in Sydney on March 7.
During Melbourne and Sydney carnivals, the operation consistently presents a competitive edge and has runners in three out of five Group 1s at Rosehill.
Melbourne's concluding Group 1 of the season, the William Reid Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield on Saturday, sees the Hawkes team with Airman and Devil Night in the mix.
It's been almost 18 months without a win for Airman, who incurred weight penalties after securing the Group 2 Premiere Cup (1200m) at Randwick in October 2024.
According to Wayne Hawkes, Airman has the ability to factor prominently on Saturday and has performed well in recent trials prior to his comeback from November.
"He won the Premiere Stakes which is two weeks before The Everest and which is the best lead-up race to The Everest," Hawkes said.
"You know he is up to that class of race, but he hasn't won for 18 months, but I wouldn't discard him.
"He's going pretty well."
From seven starts, Devil Night has notched one success, notably taking out the elite juvenile feature, the Blue Diamond Stakes, at his second attempt.
His spring was patchy for the three-year-old, but Hawkes referenced the finale where he was fourth to Giga Kick in the Schillaci Stakes.
Resuming in autumn, Devil Night was narrowly beaten by Pallaton in the Zeditave Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield last month and has trialled lightly at Flemington since.
"He's going super and this is the race we've picked out for him," Hawkes said.
"He was getting beaten in the spring behind Giga Kick, which isn't bad for a three-year-old and Giga Kick is an Everest horse, and the bottom line is, there's your form.
"Beau Mertens had a sit on him in his trial and I'm happy with the horse and how he's going."
When pressed on a preference, Hawkes edged towards Devil Night.
"He's the fitter one," Hawkes said.
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