Northview Hustler (10) is right in the fight behind Ohoka Punter, Colt Thirty One and Watch Pulp Fiction in the Sunshine Sprint.
At last, Hustler gets a trip and his unlucky fourth raises hopes for next week’s rich finale
By Barry Lichter • 13 July 2019
“We’re in with a chance next week, we just need a half decent draw.”
That was trainer Al Barnes’ immediate reaction to Northview Hustler’s outstanding fourth in tonight’s Sunshine Sprint at Albion Park - thinking forward to next Saturday night and the A$250,000 Black A Fake Championship.
For the Hustler showed beyond doubt tonight that he will be competitive in Queensland’s winter feature - getting within 3.5 metres of winner Ohoka Punter despite not really getting a crack at the leaders in the last 400 metres.
“Yes, he was a tad unlucky,’’ said Barnes. “All we needed was for Anthony (Butt) to drop off a few seconds earlier to get out on the home turn.”
Locked in the one-one round the bend, driver Hayden Barnes couldn’t get out to attack with Cullenburn and Butt labouring three wide outside him.
And Barnes was again stymied for room up the home stretch when, after angling in, there wasn’t quite enough room to get his sulky between Ohoka Punter and Colt Thirty One.
Up the home straight and the arrow shows the gap which Northview Hustler couldn’t quite squeeze through.“Hayden said he didn’t quite have enough room and had a bit left in the tank.
“But he was rapt with the run. He said he was nearly tempted to come out of the one-one and slip round into the chair but I’m glad he didn’t.”
Barnes predicted with uncanny precision the run he hoped Hustler would get, and even revealed his pre-race plan not to put Hustler out three wide round the turn and to wait and stake a late claim.
“It just shows you what a half decent draw can do - you don’t have to bust a gut three wide.
“It was a good drive by Hayden and earning a little cheque in a Group One race was OK too.”
Northview Hustler’s fourth saw him take a purse of A$5820, unlucky not to snare the A$8700 claimed by Watch Pulp Fiction who just photo-finished him for third.
The performance also confirmed Barnes’ belief that red hot favourite Colt Thirty One was beatable as, while the local star got his own way front from a perfect draw, he was sprint-laned by his stablemate, going down by 1.3 metres.
Ohoka Punter, a former Kiwi who, incredibly, is rising 10 years old, clocked a mile rate of 1:53.2 for the 1660 metres, the closing sectionals only a steady 55.5 and 27.7.
Wicked sectionals in Derby
In total contrast was the South East Derby earlier in the night, when the sectionals were so wickedly fast Lincoln Farms’ Trojan Banner couldn’t get into the race from his second row draw.
With New South Wales visitor Lochinvar Art speeding along in front, and the All Star’s unbeaten Self Assured looping the field to park, the big guns clocked a sizzling 53.4 for their last 800 metres, and whizzed home in 26.1 for the last 400.
Self Assured, who claimed a nose win at the wire, ran the 2138 metres in a 1:54.1 mile rate.
Lincoln Farms’ Make Way, who was given a sweet one out, three back sit by driver Anthony Butt, dug in bravely in the run home to finish fifth, 8.2 metres from the winner.
More news in Harness
Prince Lincoln spearheads record-sized team for Lincoln Farms at Cambridge on Friday
Ray cautions punters with no lead this time for Jekyll and Hyde colt Prince Lincoln
Two (not so) secret weapons help Lincoln Farms to $29,287 payday at Cambridge
Deb dresses her latest ‘Copy’ weanling in white and he delivers a Major coup
Our runners this week: How our trainer rates them
Ray’s comments
Friday night at Cambridge
Race 1: Spirited Belle
4.46pm
Delany: “I saw she’d been punted but somebody must know something we don’t as I’ve been working her myself and, while she feels all right and hasn’t put the boot in like at Auckland, I think she’ll need the run. She hasn’t got any high speed but feels like she will stay. She has improved a bit but I’d be surprised if she won.”
Race 1: Lincoln Maree
4.46pm
“It’s always hard from these draws but she’s a tough mare who will make her own luck at some stage. She’s going well enough - her drivers have all been happy - and she’s a little warrior who tries like hell.”
Race 2: Major Copy
5.12pm
“He’s only two and very inexperienced but he feels like a good colt and there’s a lot of improvement in him. He certainly caught a lot of people’s attention last time. I don’t know how good he is yet but he’ll be right there.”
Race 2: Prince Lincoln
5.12pm
“If he can lead without having to do too much work I can’t see anything beating him. I thought he went great last start. He pressed the winner hard ’til the corner then just flattened out in the run home, but he had every reason to do that after all the work he’d done.”
Race 4: Spirit Of God
6.12pm
“She’s been undone by bad draws. If she led easily from three she’d be hard to beat as she’s a good front-runner.”
Race 4: Spirited Peggy
6.12pm
“We’ve had her for only two weeks but she’s seven now and has had her chance to win one. She has a bit of speed but I think she gets pulling so we’ve got the Hidez (compression) hood on her and plugged her ears up.”
Race 6: Copy N Paste
7.10pm
“We won’t see the best of him for another six months. He’s been a slow developing horse but is improving all the time and getting stronger.”
Race 6: Jessie Lincoln
7.10pm
“If I was having a bet on one of them in the race it would be her. She deserves to win one. Her last two have been really good - she just ran into one who was a bit slicker last time in Major Copy.”
Race 6: Lincoln Dealer
7.10pm
“He’s a bit one-dimensional - you’ve got to feed him track and let him run - so the second row draw is a big handicap. To his credit I was surprised he finished so close last time after all the work he did. When he gets a decent draw and crosses them they’ll know they’re at the races. He’s got a big motor and tries hard.”
Race 8: Rivergirl Bella
8.08pm
“She clawed her way to the front last time but had nothing left at the finish. That won’t happen this time and she should lead easily from one.”
Race 8: Angelic Copy
8.08pm
“She’s had terrible draws but has been going good races. The others last time were just better than her but this is a big drop in class. With the right trip she could get some of it at huge odds.”
Race 9: Sugar Ray Lincoln
8.35pm
“He’s not quick away from a stand but he won’t muff it completely. He steps from the front line and Peter Ferguson was quite happy with his last run.”
Race 9: Lincoln Wave
8.35pm
“He bombed the stand the first time but to be fair all those horses were rushing up at him from the back and that panicked him a bit. He’s on 10 metres this time so that won’t happen.”
