HOT HATCHET COULD BE HARD TO HOLD OUT IN THE GOLD JEWEL AS HE BIDS FOR A FOURTH STRAIGHT WIN

By Graham Potter | Friday, March 13, 2026

Some runners get better with age, and, after recent performances, the forty-six race ‘veteran’ Hatchet has to fall into that category and he will be looking to further enhance that reputation when he goes out to contest the $150 000 Gold Jewel over 1400m at the Gold Coast on Saturday.

The Robert Heathcote trained seven-year-old is on a winning roll having saluted in all of his last three starts … but, while the results were obviously of prime importance, the way in which Hatchet went about his business, like an enthusiastic three-year-old with a sharp killer instinct, would have helped lift the satisfaction barometer for his connections to a very high level.

At the Sunshine Coast back on January 24, Hatchet was not the best away at the break … turned for home with five lengths to make up … raced in restricted room for most of the of the straight … only got into clear air inside the final 100m when still in fifth place, two lengths back … before flashing home in as pressurised a finish as you could imagine to claim victory by 0.20 lengths.

At Doomben on February 7, Hatchet was hampered at the start … raced some five to six length off the fast pace being set up front early … reduced that deficit to two-and-a-half lengths on straightening … before accelerating with real meaning inside the final 180m, turning a two length deficit at that stage into an emphatic 2.77 length victory.

Then, at Eagle Farm on February 28, Hatchet was taken back from a wide draw … raced all of eight lengths back in the early part … before being confronted with a wall of horses in front of him in the early part of the straight.

When asked to switch to take a run back on the inside, Hatchet responded superbly to once again gather momentum in the blink of an eye and put his opposition away, this time by 1.78 lengths, keeping the useful Battlefield, who carried 4kg less than the Heathcote trained runner, back in second place.

It is hard to argue against that level of performance, particularly as, although Hatchet raced off the speed early, he never had any time to just loaf along, with Vlad Duric, who excelled in the saddle, having to ride Hatchet fairly hard for a long way in all of those wins.

Those three wins were all over 1200m and the distance test goes up now to 1400m at the Gold Coast, but the way Hatchet has been finishing off his races … the last two times under 59kg … suggests the extra distance will not be a problem, even though he is up 1kg to 60kg this time around.

The Gold Jewel betting is dominated by the Tony Gollan trained John Rambo at $2.80.

John Rambo has finished in second place in three of his last five starts but has not won since his victory twelve starts ago in April 2025.

Hatchet is currently the joint second favourite at $6.50 with the Shaun Dwyer trained Anemacore, who has won three of his last four starts … two of those over Saturday’s race distance of 1400m … including the Listed Sunshine Coast Cup.

In his only defeat in that sequence of results, Anemacore finished third behind Rockribbed and Rothfire in the Listed Lough Neagh.

So, clearly Hatchet has a bit to do if he is to extend his winning sequence … but then again, he always seems to be left with a bit to do … a situation he has shown himself to be well capable of managing.

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