Northview Hustler is lethal in front as he showed when winning at Albion Park two starts back. PHOTO: Dan Costello.
Speed wobbles behind him, Hustler can lead and be very hard to beat on Saturday night
By Barry Lichter • 4 March 2021
Northview Hustler might have got the speed wobbles and galloped last start but trainer Al Barnes is confident he can go close to winning at Albion Park on Saturday night.
The Hustler draws six on the front line, the same handicap that saw him taken back off the gate last start, but Barnes says with nothing like the same speed drawn inside him this time the plan will be to blast the gate and lead.
“He should cross them without using too much petrol and find the fence first and from there he’ll be very hard to beat.
“I can’t see anything having the speed to hold him out. The one (Chevron’s Reward) should take a sit on us.”
Barnes says the Hustler is “good as gold and ready to go” after being treated for sore feet and having his troublesome fetlock injected since his last race.
“He just got the speed wobbles last time and whacked himself on the home turn, galloping just when Hayden thought he was going to run straight past them.
“On Saturday he should be leading and going very close to winning though Secretagent Tycoon will be hard to beat.”
Hayden Barnes brings back Larry Lincoln after scoring in a 1:54.6 mile rate last month. PHOTO: Dan Costello.Larry’s big test
Barnes is also looking forward to Larry Lincoln’s first test against stronger company in the third race and he is confident he can make the step up.
“It’s a much harder field than he’s beaten in his last two starts but I’ve always said that this class will suit him. The time they run won’t matter.”
Under the preferential barrier draw Larry Lincoln, as the lowest rating horse, gets the pole, from where Barnes says he should be in front or behind the leader.
“I don’t think the two (Feelingforarainbow) will hold him out and the three (Maywyns Courage) should take a sit.
“We’ve just got to play our cards right and hand up to the right horse or we’ll end up three fence. We might even lead, we’ll have to see.”
Larry Lincoln, who has won his last two starts and has been the subject of overseas interest this week, will need to be right on his A game as while he has scored in mile rates of 1:54.6 and 1:54.7 for 1660 metres, his rivals have been pacing much faster.
When Maywyns Courage scored two starts back he ran a mile rate of 1:52.1 and the newcomer to Queensland Our Wall Street Wolf clocked 1:50.6 in winning a mile at Menangle in January before pulling up slightly lame in the near hind leg at his last start.
Northview Hustler races at 8.40pm NZ time at Albion Park on Saturday night.
Larry Lincoln races at 9.42pm NZ time at Albion Park on Saturday night.
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Our runners this week: How our trainers rate them
Mark Dux’s comments
Wednesday night at Redcliffe
Race 1: Captain Nemo
7.17pm NZ time
“It’s a reasonable field, they’re not push-overs, but they’re all beatable. It will all come down to who gets the right trip. If we have something go our way we could get some of it as there’s not a lot between them and I don’t think he’s far off now. We’ve got a bad draw again and there’s a bit of speed inside us so I’ll tell Angus to just play it by ear.”
Ray’s comments
Friday night at Auckland
Race 4: Lincoln La Moose
7.32pm
“He’s a pretty good horse. He was still below his best last time at Cambridge - he needed the race - but went very well for second behind King’s Watch. With his ace draw, he should be right up there for Zac (Butcher). He always looked a bit delicate but he’s got tougher.”
Race 4: Obadiah Dragon
7.32pm
“He’ll go a good race but our others look better here. His last run was below par for him so we took a blood off him and he had a bit of a virus going on. He was at the tail end of it but it was enough to stop him.”
Race 4: Lincoln Lou
7.32pm
“Even if he’s half a run short, I don’t think it will matter, he’ll still be too good for this lot. He only had a mild virus which came right with treatment and he’s trained on well since. He feels pretty good and if I was betting man, I’d bet him for sure based on his last run, which was massive.”
Race 4: Sugar Ray Lincoln
7.32pm
“He’s in a ‘coming of age’ phase. He rushed up beside them last start and wanted to lay all over them and give them a hug. But that’s normal coltish behaviour. He does that in training as well, rushes up and switches off. He has a lot of ability but also a few little behaviour traits that we need to get on top of.”
Race 6: My Copy
8.24pm
“It won’t be easy from four on the second row but he’s very honest and, if opportunity knocks, he’ll be right there. If he gets a trip, he’s always ready to pounce.”
Race 9: Tyson
9.39pm
“He should be one of the favourites. The raw ability is there and he’ll definitely win races as he has a bit of speed. How far he will take us we have yet to find out but I thought he did really well last time given the run he had.”
