2022 Tamworth Cup: Hawkes Racing's Bandersnatch claims $200,000 race

Bandersnatch was ridden by Brenton Avdulla, who won last month's Golden Slipper aboard Fireburn, and made light work of the 62kg he carried as the top weight.

The Hawkes Racing five-year-old gelding, a multiple winner of listed races in Sydney, beat the Cameron Crockett-trained Constant Flight (Brooke Stower) by a length.

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The Brett Cavanough-trained Fender (Grant Buckley) was close behind in third place.

Edit - trained in Tamworth by Cody Morgan and ridden by Alysha Collett - was excellent in finishing fifth, one-and-a-half lengths behind the winner.

Bandersnatch paid $6.50 for the win (TAB fixed odds).

Speaking to Sky Racing after the race, Avdulla said: "Full credit to Team Hawkes. Obviously, they had him cherry ripe today ... he got back, he relaxed good and did everything right."

Bandersnatch has won nine of his 25 starts for more than $663,000 in prize money.

This year's Tamworth Cup - contested in a Good 4 surface and well-attended on a mild autumn day - attracted a slew of big-name metropolitan trainers and jockeys.

The Cup's winner and second-placed horses are eligible to enter the ballot for the inaugural $2 million Big Dance at Randwick on Melbourne Cup Day.

One of the star hoops in attendance on Friday was Willie Pike.

He rode three winners for two Tamworth trainers. In race three, he steered the Morgan-trained Hombre to victory.

In the following race, he had success abroad the Sue Grills-trained Mandalong Tapit.

In the last race, he triumphed aboard the Morgan-trained Trumped Up.

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