Bad draws all round on Friday night but drop in class will help Make Way in particular

The barrier draws are against all four of Lincoln Farms’ runners at Auckland on Friday night but with three of them dropping in grade, all trainer Ray Green wants is a bit of luck.

With Make Way in gate seven, Zealand Star in eight and Trojan Banner the outside of the second line, it won’t be easy for the trio but balancing that is the easing in class for the three-year-olds especially.

Make Way meets a field of rating 58 to 67 horses in the fourth race after bashing heads last week with “the best of the best’’ as Green puts it.

His effort to run fourth to Ultimate Sniper, Jesse Duke and Another Masterpiece in the Alabar Classic was a ripper, driver Zachary Butcher even forced to switch ground 150 metres from home to try to clear Ultimate Sniper.

Make Way, who raced three deep on the markers, was clocked to run his last 800 metres in 56.8 and 400 in 27.3, winner Ultimate Sniper posting 56.7 and 27.

“He’s becoming quite competitive against those ones,’’ says Green. “He’s our benchmark horse at the moment and I’m quite happy with where he’s at.’’

Make Way won’t have things his own way, however, with a number of very progressive horses against him, not the least of which is the All Stars’ Kayla Marie, who was checked in the melee last week that took three horses out of the race.

“He just need some luck. He won’t leave the gate from out there, he’ll go back, but if he gets a suck into it at the right time, he’ll be the one to beat.’’

Trojan Banner … just needs some luck from the second row. PHOTO: Trish Dunell.Fellow three-year-old Trojan Banner effectively drops two or three grades on the Alabar Classic, taking on only rating 49 to 55 horses in the third race.

And while Trojan Banner is three on the second row, Green says if he can secure a nice run through behind the Cran Dalgety-trained Sezana, who left the gate fast last week, he could end up getting a good trip.

“If that happened he should beat them. He’s been racing the bear cats recently.

“And he’s trained particularly well this week.’’

Zealand Star fast

Green says while he was originally a shade disappointed in the run of Zealand Star last week, after he saw the time he paced he changed his mind.

Zealand Star failed to find a kick after being given a perfect one-one trail by Zachary Butcher and only battled into fourth behind Ideal Star.

But the former southerner clocked 2:40.1 for the 2200 metres - “and he’s never been that fast in his life.’’

“They went so hard that he got tired but he flattened out only in the last 200 metres.

“The mile this week will suit him. He’s not one you can put in the race so Andrew (Drake) will go back and try to get a suck up.’’

Zealand Star also enjoys a drop back in grade - from racing rating 60 to 72 horses last week, he finds himself in a rating 46 to 65 race on Friday night.

Ray Green … Hustler is “as light as I’ve ever seen him.”Hustler not himself

You’d normally expect Green to be buoyant about stable star Northview Hustler (race 2) competing over a mobile mile.

But it’s not the six gate or a seemingly rejuvenated Star Galleria beside him that concerns Green.

“I am a bit worried about him,’’ says Green. “He’s training OK but he’s not the horse he can be.

“He’s as light as I’ve ever seen him. He’s eating OK but he doesn’t have an ounce of fat on him.

“I’ve put him out into the paddock the last couple of nights and hopefully that will be enough to help him.’’

Hustler had a horror trip last start, four and three wide round the first bend before ending up parked the trip.

But Green says he didn’t look himself even in the preliminary and he has since treated the horse.

“Hopefully that will kick in come race time.

“But he needs to put some weight on. We’ll just have to see how he goes on Friday.’’