A festive crowd were on hand to witness a thrilling 2026 rendition of Kalgoorlie's time honoured 1400m sprint, the Listed Hannans Handicap, as racing in the outback city hits full swing!
Before the introduction last year of the $1m Golden Saddle over 1200m, which will take place on Saturday, “The Hannans” was Kalgoorlie's premier sprint and has been a much-loved Goldfields fixture since 1897.
To the surprise of most, the out of form and unfancied defending champion Multinational (Zoustar) rallied to the call, and after leading the Hannans field all the way the Neville Parnham trained galloper (34/1) fought like a tiger nearing the post, as he was tackled by the topweight and 12 /1 shot Hoba West.
A seven year old son of the of G1 Golden Rose hero Epaulette, Hoba West was first up and would have had excuses for running out of steam under his 59kg, but he proved just as determined as his rival, and under the urging of jockey Austin Galati he got the upper hand in the last stride to claim victory.
Favourite backers were left empty handed and heading to the bar for liquid fortification, after 20/1 Without Reg ( War Chant) grabbed third place and another at double figures Triple Jay ( Street Boss) finished on his heels in fourth.
Peters Investments well bred So You Think gelding Correct Choice and last year's third placed Cool Memory (Impending) were both in great form going in and had battled out favouritism, while the ever consistent black type campaigners Elite Missile ( Smart Missile) and Fast Flicker ( A Lot) had their fans.
Kalgoorlie's leading trainer PJ Fernie had already notched up four winners on the day and there were plenty of punters willing to stick with that bandwagon, sending out his handy gallopers Don't Wait For Luck (Nicconi) at 10/1 and Close At Hand ( Impending) at 26/1 to do battle with the Perth “raiders”, but to no avail.
Kalgoorlie-Boulder had received four times its normal September rainfall in one 48 hour period last weekend, and the track was still rated a Soft 5 on Thursday morning but was upgraded to a Good 4 by racetime.
Despite being friendless in the betting, and having done nothing of note since his Hannans / Northam Cup double this time last year, Multinational flew the gates and travelled beautifully under Laqdar Ramoly. The 8yo son of Zoustar booted clear at the top of the straight, and it was only the Summer Dickson trained Hoba West - who had sat third in running - able to mount a challenge!
The win was a triumph of conditioning and a big thrill for young trainer Summer Dickson, who runs a boutique stable out of Port Kennedy near the beach.
Hoba West becomes just the third horse since 1972 to carry 59kg to victory in The Hannans, the others being Corporate Bruce ( 2002) and Disposition ( 2017)
His big win advances Hoba West's record to 25 - 6-6-2 for earnings of $359,707.
It was a well deserved first stakes win for Hoba West, who was runner up in the G3 Hyperion Stakes to the champ Western Empire in May, and a brave second to Victorian raider and subsequent runaway Perth Cup winner Apulia in the G2 Ted Van Heemst Stakes at the Ascot summer carnival.
Hoba West is a homebred for Brett Fogarty's Cape Falls Thoroughbreds and is the third foal and best of four winners produced from the unraced Northern Meteor mare Hoba.
After missing a couple of seasons, Hoba foaled a filly by Anders in 2024 who has been named Andahoba, and last year produced a colt by In The Congo.
The mare is expecting a foal by Cox Plate hero State Of Rest this spring.
Her winning dam Skibo Castle was bred by Segenhoe Stud and was by the fantastic broodmare sire Carnegie, the only foal by him from the 1993 Doncaster Hcp heroine and dual G1 winner Skating (At Talaq)
The grey was good in the broodmare paddock too, becoming dam of stakes winners and sires Bradbury's Luck and Murtajill plus their gelded half brother Sunset Run.
Hoba is half sister to Skating's daughter Skates ( Danehill) - dam of Golden Slipper hero Vancouver and G1 winning filly Juste Momente, and to her full sisters Zali ( stakes producer) and Dubai Ice (exported Japan).
Skating was retired from breeding in 2012. Her grey coat, which she passed on to many of her foals, came from her broodmare sire Raffindale,an imported grandson of Grey Sovereign who was a crowd favourite with racegoers in the 1970s and became a very good sire.
Raffindale's most famous win was the G1 Epsom Hcp of 1977. He was linebred to Grey Sovereign's dam Kong - his own ancestress.
Hoba West's own damline, like so many successful families, goes back to a daughter of Century's champion Better Boy. Her name was Eloquent and the WA Oaks winner Badinage was the best of her progeny.
Her dam Genvetor was sired by Beau Pere's beautifully bred son Beau Cheval, son of NZ's legendary racemare Cuddle.
Hoba West's high quality female line descends from the 1902 Coronation Stakes heroine Doctrine, who became grand dam of the champion stayer and important sire Solario.
Hoba West descends from Beachy Head - the fourth dam of one of Australasia's greatest racehorses Gloaming, who won the equivalent of 40 G1 races!
From 67 starts Gloaming ( The Welkin) won 57 times and was second in 9. The one time this mighty thoroughbred finished out of the quinella was when he suffered a fall after becoming entangled in barrier tapes.
Gloaming was such a good doer he had to be muzzled in the stable to stop him from eating his bedding. His greatest passion in life ( apart from being one of the greatest thoroughbreds who ever lived) was apples, and he always received one after a win.
He would return to scale nickering eagerly, and nudge the pockets of his humans looking for his apple. On the nine occasions he ran second, Gloaming - despite his obsession for the sweet fruit - refused to ask for it.
Only once, after he had fallen and taken no part in the race, did this famously intelligent horse come back to the mounting yard looking for his special treat. That little story just sums up everything about the champions of the turf, and the hold they have on our hearts!
Hoba West is bred
Northern Dancer 5m x 5m, 5m
Sadlers Wells 5m x 4m
Blue Hen Fairy Bridge 6m x 6m,6m
He is the 25th stakes winner worldwide for Epaulette, who was regrettably exported to Turkey in 2021. The beautifully bred son of Commands from Singspiel's Blue Hen Accessories won the G1 Golden Rose and Doomben 10,000 in the mid 2000s.
Best known here as the sire of G1 Blue Diamond winner Daumier, Epaulette also got the SAF G1 winning colt Soqrat and the US G1 Del Mar Oaks winner Red Lark. His progeny have won races in Great Britain, Ireland, France, Italy, the USA and Australia.
Hoba West's pedigree is all about the Rough Shod family with his cross of full brothers Sadlers Wells x 2 and Fairy King, grandsons of Rough Shod's daughter Thong, meeting her full sister, Northern Meteor's ancestress Moccasin,via daughter Scuff ( Forli) full sister to Special, dam of the two breedshaping sires.
Hoba West is heavily linebred to Blue Hen Lalun via her son Bold Reason (damsire of Sadlers and Fairy King) and his half brother Never Bend - through Mill Reef son Shirley Heights and daughter Anna Matrushka in Epaulette, and Riverman in Carnegie.
At Talaq's sire Roberto is from the wider family of In The Wings ( 12-c) and Blue Hen Not Afraid is sex balanced via Riverman and Halo.
Hoba West’s pedigree also features sex balanced duplications of Mr Prospector, Grey Sovereign, Bimelech and Herbager.
Royal Randwick and Fabulous Flemington will be rocking on Saturday as the best horses in the country battle for Spring Carnival riches.
Kalgoorlie is a long way from either of those iconic racecourses, but the historic town will be rocking just as hard, with crowds massing from near and far to witness the second running of the Golden Saddle slot race and “the big one” - the pride of the goldfields since 1897, the Kalgoorlie Cup!
