Northview Hustler, arrowed, paced some amazing sectionals to get within a length and a half of the winner.
Hustler runs the hands off the clock in brilliant return to the track
By Barry Lichter • 25 November 2018
Any worries that Northview Hustler might not bounce back from his southern trip were dispelled in two minutes of high speed last Friday night when he ran two of the fastest sectionals ever recorded at Alexandra Park.
If you watched the race and thought Hustler was disappointing against much weaker opposition than he faced in Canterbury, you were dead wrong.
Having his first run since an aborted New Zealand Cup campaign, and with no trials to sharpen him up, Hustler was forced to go back from the outside of the gate.
Driver Andre Poutama was caught three wide near the rear until the 1200 metres mark when he restrained to last - and he was still there 400 metres out.
Hustler started his run soon after but Poutama was pushed four wide all the way round the home turn - not a winning recipe at Auckland - and he was still last at the 200.
But Hustler still kept coming and, closing fast at the post, was just 1.6 lengths from winner On The Cards.
Hustler was clocked to cover his last 400 metres in an astonishing 26.1 seconds, despite covering all that extra ground.
And his final 800 metres, which he paced in a white hot 54.1, was no less impressive.
To get some idea of how good those fractions are you only have to check out the times run by the last four horses who have held the New Zealand record for 1700 metres, two of then owned by Lincoln Farms.
Current record holder Mossdale Connor set his mark when winning the Taylor Mile at Auckland in 2015 when he ran 1:58.1 for the trip, a full three seconds faster than On The Cards ran on Friday night.
When Sir Lincoln set his NZ record 1700 he closed in 55.2 and 27.2. Northview Hustler clocked 54.1 and 26.1.His closing sectionals were 55.4 and 28, obviously slower because of the much faster overall rate.
Only Gold Ace, who sped home in 54.6 and 26 flat in setting the previous record, went a fraction faster than Hustler for his last 400.
When Lincoln Farms’ Besotted won the Taylor Mile in 2014 he ran two minutes flat and ran home in 55.7 and 27.2 - against the markers.
And when Sir Lincoln took his record in 2013 he ran his last 800 in 55.2 and 400 in 27.2.
You could argue the track surface is better prepared today than in previous years but Hustler’s clocking still has real merit.
Winner On The Cards, who was leading on the pegs, ran only 55 and 26.7 for his final sectionals.
Hustler, who was credited with the same overall time as third-placed Step Up and fourth-placed Mach Shard, was just a head and a nose away from paying a dividend.
The enormity of the run became evident when Poutama returned to scale and reported Hustler did not pace well at any stage.
“He was getting in on the corners,’’ says Green. “So he’s run those times under duress, which is even more remarkable.’’
Green revealed Northview Hustler has an ankle which bothers him intermittently.
“He needs regular maintenance work and he obviously needs some treatment again.
“I won’t race him again this week, which will give us time to work on him, but he can run again the following week.’’
The $30,000 Summer Cup, run from a stand over 2200 metres, would suit him ideally.
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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.”
