JOHN Hawkes will have a better idea of the immediate future for Headhunter after the rising young stayer's baptism to weight-for-age racing at Caulfield tomorrow.
Headhunter will tackle the older horses in the $700,000 Futurity Stakes, traditionally a 1400m sprint but increased to 1600m this year to be the first leg of the Asian Mile Championship series.
Hawkes will also have to weigh up the next step for his outstanding sprinter-miler Paratroopers.
"He's back on track, but I won't make up my mind where to go with him until after the weekend," Hawkes said yesterday.
Paratroopers, who missed a vital run at Moonee Valley two weeks ago after banging his head in his box, is Hawkes' only entry for the $1m Newmarket Handicap (1200m) tomorrow week.
But Headhunter holds an engagement for the $1m Australian Cup (2000m) and $750,000 Australian Guineas (1600m) on the same Newmarket program.
"I want to see him run, then go from there," Hawkes said of Headturner's Futurity assignment. "He's a big-track galloper and Caulfield may not suit him, but he's in there to do his best."
Hawkes has three other Australian Guineas entries but confirmed that Domesday had been returned to his Sydney stables to continue his autumn program from there.
The performance of improving three-year-old Spinney at Caulfield will also have a bearing on Hawkes' options for Headhunter.
Spinney will try for his fourth straight win in the $175,000 Autumn Classic (1800m) and may be the stable's Guineas hope, giving Headhunter a shot at the older horses in the Australian Cup. Darren Beadman will ride Headhunter and Spinney.
