Some of Australia’s top three-year-old colts are back at the races this weekend, but the one regarded as the benchmark for his age group won’t appear until mid-September.

Nepotism will kick off his spring in the $300,000 Group 2 Run To The Rose (1200m) at Rosehill on September 13, a race co-trainer Michael Hawkes believes is the perfect launching pad. The Champagne Stakes winner tuned up with a quiet trial at Canterbury last week and pleased his trainers.

“He’ll run in the Run To The Rose first-up,” Hawkes confirmed. “His trial was great, we can’t fault him and he’s looking well. The Run To The Rose looks ideal for him and he’s going really good.”

Already favourite for the $1 million Group 1 Golden Rose (1400m) on September 27, Nepotism is also at the top of betting for the Group 1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m) a fortnight later. The colt is aiming to follow in the footsteps of Ole Kirk, who completed the Golden Rose–Caulfield Guineas double for Team Hawkes in 2020. Like Ole Kirk, Nepotism is from the Helsinge family, which also produced the legendary Black Caviar.

The stable also produced another Group 1 winner at last week’s Canterbury trials, with T J Smith Stakes hero Briasa scoring impressively over 900m. The sprinter, who hasn’t raced since his fourth in the All Aged Stakes, is expected to resume in the 1100m The Shorts on September 20 as he builds towards the $20 million The Everest.

“We haven’t really made a plan with him yet, I know there’s only limited races he can run in, but he he’ll be cherry ripe by the time The Everest comes around,” Hawkes said. “His trial was super for his first one, he went really good, and we’re very happy. He’s matured, he’s grown and he looks great.”

Briasa currently sits on the third line of betting at $8 for The Everest, behind Ka Ying Rising ($1.80) and Private Harry ($6).