Gold Coast galloper on track for more Top End riches

By Jordan Gerrans

Tough Gold Coast galloper Hadouken is on the right path to defending his Darwin Cup crown after a grinding victory in a key lead-in race in the Northern Territory on Saturday. 

Hadouken is prepared on the Gold Coast by top trainer Peter Robl. 

After racing across South East Queensland from July of 2023 until the middle of 2024, the gelding put three victories in a line at Darwin’s Fannie Bay track on the way to winning the $200,000 local Cup last year. 

Robl has put the six-year-old on a slightly different path to the Darwin Cup this year compared to what the galloper competed in last year. 

The son of Real Impact claimed the $60,000 Chief Minister's Cup on Saturday – a race he did not contest in 2024 – in stunning fashion. 

Paul Shiers rode Hadouken on Saturday in the NT and he said the galloper was on track for the Cup, declaring his preparation was ‘ideal’ ahead of the $200,000 event early in August. 

Hadouken has a large number of Queensland-based owners including Helen Guilfoyle, Matthew McNally and Maree Sankey. 

“He is on his way to defending his Darwin Cup victory,” Robl said.

“It wasn’t a pretty steer, but it was the perfect steer.”

As Robl notes, Hadouken had to do it tough in Saturday’s event over a mile as he was trapped wide outside the short favourite Cinque Torri for much of the trip.

The gelding ran last in his first appearance in Darwin for 2025 late last month and was sent out as a $51 shot in Saturday’s event.

The price mattered for little as veteran local hoop Shiers grinded Hadouken to victory on the dirt. 

“His first start up here this time on the track was only 1300 metres and obviously there was a lot more speed in the race, as well as him not appreciating the kick-back,” Shiers said.

“The intention on Saturday was to get him outside of the dirt.

“Ideally, we didn’t want to be three deep and have them attacking us from the 1000 metre mark.

“But, that is just the way it panned out and I had to ride him that way.

“It worked out well, he was good and tough.”

The 53-year-old Shiers has not done much riding for the Robl barn across his career, but they have had a long association together.

Former jockey Robl was an apprentice rider alongside Shiers when they were coming through the ranks in country Victoria many decades ago.

“It was a good, tough win,” the hoop said of Saturday’s performance. 

“He is a big tough horse.

“He is not exactly a sit and sprinter, so I was never going to let Cinque Torri get a really soft lead, I was going to pressure him a fair way out.

“To Hadouken’s credit, he was very tough all the way to the line.”

Sydney hoop Tyler Schiller flew north to ride Hadouken in the Darwin Cup of 2024. 

The Robl barn have had a positive start to the month, already preparing three winners. 

Hadouken’s stablemate Stormfront also won at Darwin while Overfull claimed a $200,000 race on Caloundra Cup day at the Sunshine Coast.