A promising three-year-old gelding, Cool Drinks, is poised to make a significant impact at the Hawkesbury meeting on Thursday. Despite a quiet market presence, he is attracting attention after a solid debut performance ten weeks ago. Trained by John O’Shea and Tom Charlton at Randwick, Cool Drinks is currently priced at around $11 in early betting for the competitive Super Maiden Handicap over 1300 meters.
The weather conditions leading up to the race may play a crucial role. The track is expected to downgrade to a soft surface following substantial rainfall in the 24 hours prior to the event. In these challenging conditions, Cool Drinks could emerge as a value option among a highly competitive field.
Impressive Debut Performance
In his initial outing, Cool Drinks showcased potential by finishing just over two lengths behind the impressive Sapling in a two-year-old maiden at Wyong on a soft 7 track. He made a notable late charge from the back of the field, covering significant ground to finish strongly. The performance of Sapling has been validated, as the horse subsequently performed well in a deeper Saturday field at Randwick.
Further supporting the form from that race, Tequisoda, who finished second, won his next race at Hawkesbury, while third-placed Fabres followed up with two strong finishes in subsequent outings. These results bode well for Cool Drinks, who has since completed two encouraging trials and is well-prepared to navigate the same distance with a strategy of settling off the pace.
Strong Sire Influence and Competitive Field
Cool Drinks is sired by the high-class Cool Aza Beel, known for his remarkable win in the Group 1 Sistema Stakes at Auckland’s Ellerslie track in the autumn of 2020. This pedigree adds to the anticipation surrounding Cool Drinks’ performance at Hawkesbury.
Additionally, the meeting will see the debut of Andale Andale, an exciting mare trained by Lyle Chandler based in Scone. This daughter of Group 1 champion All Too Hard has won both of her lead-up trials on wet tracks convincingly, starting at the top of the betting line around $4.80.
Another notable entrant is the talented four-year-old Andron, trained by the Hawkes camp at Rosehill. This powerful son of Pierro aims to secure his second win from just three starts as he steps up to a mile in a Class 1 handicap. After a strong debut victory on heavy ground at Kembla, Andron opens as a pronounced favorite and is expected to progress towards metropolitan midweek competitions if he dominates this field.
As the Hawkesbury meeting approaches, the spotlight will be on these emerging talents, particularly Cool Drinks, who is set to prove himself on a challenging surface.
For full race details and replays, visit Racing NSW at racingnsw.com.au.
