HADOUKEN ON TRACK FOR DARWIN CUP NUMBER THREE

By Graham Potter | Thursday, July 9, 2026

The Peter Robl trained Hadouken will take another important step in the Chief Minister’s Cup on Saturday as he tracks towards a defence of his Darwin Cup crown which also doubles as a quest for a third Darwin Cup win after he took out the Northern Territory’s biggest race in both 2024 and 2025.

In 2024 Hadouken produced a clean sweep in Darwin winning three races out of three starts at the Fanny Bay racetrack. From the first Darwin outing to the second run there, there was two weeks between runs (from July 6 to July 20) … and, then again, roughly two weeks (from July 20 to August 5) between the second start and the Darwin Cup win in which he beat Ziggy Rocks by 1.80 lengths with Tyler Schiller in the saddle.

Robl changed the route followed by Hadouken in 2025,

This time the kick off point was June 28 in a race in which Hadouken tasted defeat for the first time in Darwin, a race in which he failed to show any interest in and was consequently soundly beaten out of the placings, coming back in last place.

On the way to Darwin that year, Hadouken had taken on the Alice Springs Cup where he had performed just as badly, so punters cried off him when he went out to contest the 2025 edition of the Chief Minister’s Cup where he was allowed to start … and win … at odds of $51, a boilover win which marked him as being right back on song for his second tilt at a Darwin Cup.

It is now history that Blake Shinn came to Darwin for the ride, the horse started at the $3.50 second favourite and got home by 0.40 lengths to secure a Darwin Cup double.

This year, Robl never added any Alice Springs start on Hadouken’s agenda but, as far as Darwin is concerned, he has set Hadouken on the exact same path he mapped out last year … a first taste of action there on June 27 (the same meeting at which he had kicked off his 2025 Darwin campaign) … the on to the Chief Minister’s Cup … before taking aim at a Darwin Cup three-peat.

That June run is already in the record books … Hadouken finished third there at odds of $26.

On Saturday, he will take step two in his three part Darwin dance when he tackles the Chief Minister’s Cup (a race which he is trying to win for a second straight year) when stepping up from 1300m to1600m … again following a finely measured schedule designed to get him to the Darwin Cup in prime condition to tackle the 2050m trip.

The Chief Minister’s Cup, at Weight-For-Age, should prove to be a nice fit for Hadouken but, win. lose or draw on Saturday, all being well, that Darwin Cup glory ride will still be in play for Hadouken when the day dawns for that August 3 showdown.