Backed to the exclusion of all others, NOT ON MY WATCH duly got the cash at Hawkesbury Thursday, but not before surviving a protest lodged by the runner-up.
If the pressure of having a $1.45 favourite in a maiden wasn’t enough, a protest certainly added an extra layer of tension.
NOT ON MY WATCH’s inexperience was evident at the business end of the 1100m contest as he shifted ground under the urgings of Chad Schofield and inconvenienced the second placed MACCBI.
However, the 1.1 length margin between the pair was deemed sufficient by stewards to dismiss the objection and to the relief of our owners, the placings stood.
This one’s got something! New winner for All Too Hard
Not On My Watch (3g All Too Hard x Exotic Enterprise
200k buy for @ProvenTbreds & @PrideRacing from @WestburyStud at @KarakaChat Book 1
Dam a 1/2 sister to G1 Aus Oaks winner Sofia Rosa.Season winner 18 for the sire. 128… pic.twitter.com/Q70HmX86pO
— Breednet (@BreednetNews) September 10, 2026
Trainer Joe Pride has developed a healthy opinion of NOT ON MY WATCH, so much so that he is considering a third run in his first preparation, despite still being three weeks shy of his third birthday.
“Knowing how much improvement is in this horse I think is the most exciting part,” Pride said.
“When he learns how to do things right, he’s going to be much better.
“I love the fact that he’s so switched off and relaxed which means we’re going to get the best out of him long term.”
A son of ALL TOO HARD, NOT ON MY WATCH was purchased for NZ$200,000 from Westbury Stud’s draft at the 2025 NZB Karaka Yearling Sale.
He becomes Proven Thoroughbreds’ third winner since the season renewed on August 1.
