Hustler gives them windburn, reminding Hayden why he loves the little champ so much
By Barry Lichter • 2 June 2020
He may not have been running past anything of note but the owners of Northview Hustler would still have been happy to hear the commentator say the horse gave his rivals windburn up the home straight at Albion Park tonight.
Pouncing out of the trail soon after turning for home, the Hustler sprinted straight past stablemate Lincoln Road and went on to win by 4.8 metres.
With driver Hayden Barnes sitting quietly, the little prizefighter reeled off his last 800 metres in 56.6 and 400 in 27.5 to record a 1:56.6 mile rate for the 1660 metres.
It was exactly the sort of run trainer Al Barnes wanted for the Hustler in his first trial back from injury.
Not hurried out of the gate, Barnes sent the horse forward three wide on the first turn to claim the lead, before letting Lincoln Road take over.
“He had a nice hit out and his sectionals were good considering how windy it was. They couldn’t run any quicker down the back straight.
Hayden Barnes is sitting quietly on Northview Hustler as he accelerates clear of Lincoln Road tonight.“Hayden said he’s missed driving the horse - you don’t get behind fast ones like him very often.”
The only negative about the run was Barnes reported that while Northview Hustler was sound in front he was a little scratchy in behind.
‘We’ll have to inject his joints again. It’s just wear and tear and we can’t do much about that except to keep him comfortable. If we neglect it, he’ll end up going sore in front again.
“But he’s pulled up well and seems really bright.”
Barnes isn’t quite as happy with Lincoln Road who has won 10 races since Lincoln Farms sold him in late 2018.
“I think he’s fighting a losing battle. He’s got a lot of problems and is pretty lame. Both front legs and his back end stifles are worrying him and he’s a day-by-day proposition.”
Barnes says he doubts the rising six-year-old brother to Lincoln’s Girl and Tommy Lincoln will get back to the races. The winner of 14 of his 48 races, Lincoln Road has won $A95,247.
More news in Harness
Lincoln Wave scorches in, still on target for richer races and Sammy’s making progress too
Johnny Lincoln’s big ticker will stand to him in the States and Lover’s also sold to Aussie
No Jumals to beat this time at the Park so Ray’s looking for Lincoln Wave to roll in
Lincoln Linda best of the night at Cambridge - she has the engine to cross Soul Artist
Our runners this week: How our trainers rate them
Ray’s comments
Thursday night at Cambridge
Race 1: Rivergirl Bella
5.44pm
“She did well here last time as she had to do a bit to get to the lead and she dug in and fought on. She’s certainly a chance if she repeats that effort.”
Race 4: Lincoln Linda
7.09pm
“I thought she went super last time after doing a lot of work. She can do that because she has an engine and is tough. She’s a bit one-dimensional - you have to turn her loose early - but from the two draw she should be able to lead and that’s where she does her best work.”
Race 5: Sugar Ray Lincoln
7.34pm
“I think he’s a bit stronger after his spell. It’s not a great field - most will die on that mark - and I don’t see a problem with the standing start as he’s nicely gaited. He could be marginally unfit after three months out but he’s done quite a bit of work and I can see him going a half-decent race.”
Race 6: Lincoln Maree
7.59pm
“She had every chance last time but I can’t see why she won’t go well again. She’s as honest as they come and tries like hell.”
Race 7: The Night Fox
8.29pm
“You’d think he’d lead easily from the inside. He’s had bad draws and still got the money, so I’m sure he’ll go another good race. I’m surprised they sold him so cheaply. He’s better than people think.”
Ray’s comments
Friday night at Auckland
Race 1: Lincoln Wave
5.09pm
“With the trip he got in the Harness Million I thought he’d have run on a lot better. But he was still a bit short on fitness and sometimes we can expect too much of these horses, he was racing the best, after all. It’s a big drop in grade here and he’s a pretty fair horse.”
Race 1: Leo Lincoln
5.09pm
“He’s an honest sort who’s in a good space but he won’t get a wonderful trip from the outside of the gate this time so I’m not holding my breath.”
Race 3: Sammy Lincoln
6.04pm
“He’s training down well but you never know what he’s going to do. You think you’ve got him sorted and he does something silly. But we know if the real Sammy turned up, he’d be very hard to beat as he’s got a lot of speed.”
Race 5: Prince Lincoln
7.05pm
“He’s another where you don’t know which one will turn up but we’ve gelded him since his last run, so we’ll see if that helps. He trained well the other day.”
