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Nash Rawiller says winning the Golden Eagle on Hawaii Five Oh will the best way to repay his great mate John Singleton for his help after the champion jockey had a mild heart attack at the beginning of the year.
Rawiller and Singleton’s friendship has grown over the years, and it was the businessman’s medical contacts that made the difference when Rawiller was still feeling unwell weeks after being taken to hospital from Warwick Farm barrier trials in January.
Nash Rawiller and Hawaii Five Oh waltzes away with the Hawkesbury Guineas in April.Credit: Getty
“Without Singo, I wouldn’t be riding now, and I might not even be here,” Rawiller said. “He got me into his doctors and they made all the difference.
“He has always been really good to me and my family, but you don’t know how to say thankyou for something like that.
“It would be great to win a Golden Eagle for him because I know how much this horse means to him, and it would be something I can do for him.”
Singleton owns Hawaii Five Oh in partnership with Gerry Harvey and Ray Hadley, and the entire has shown the potential to become a star after winning a Hawkesbury Guineas and Fred Best Classic under Rawiller. But he has yet to win a major victory.
Punters believe it could come in the $10 million race for four-year-olds on Saturday, backing him into $4 favourite after he drew barrier four.
“That was very important,” Rawiller said of the draw. “There wasn’t many good ones left in the barrel when he came out, and it makes my job easier from there instead of barriers 18 or 19.
“He has always been a horse with a lot of ability but since he went to Gai [Waterhouse and Adrian Bott’s] he has matured and [they] have been able to bring that potential out of him. He has a sharp turn of foot to go with the high speed and a great attitude.
“I have always seen him as a sprinter-miler and I think the 1500m will be perfect for him on the weekend, especially after his run in The Everest, which is the best form around.”
Rawiller returns from suspension for the Golden Eagle day and elected to ride at this meeting instead of Caulfield Cup day because of Hawaii Five Oh and Private Eye, which both come out The Everest.
“I was always going to miss last weekend, but I had the choice when to start my suspension and these two horses stood out,” Rawiller said.
“Private Eye has been very good to me and was outstanding in The Everest running third after a wide run, and he can test Think About It. I knew I had Hawaii Five Oh in the Golden Eagle and I believe this is his race.”
Meanwhile, Toorak Handicap winner Attrition was scratched from the Golden Eagle on Thursday after showing signs of lameness after trackwork.
Trainer Mitch Freedman had ridden Attrition in his workout and was not comfortable with his action and subsequently the four-year-old was found to have swelling to the right hock with some associated lameness in that leg.
Racing NSW vets will inspect Epsom winner Rediener on Friday morning after Chris Waller reported he had some swelling to the left hind leg with associated lameness to his left hind leg.
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