Carl Officer, IN THE DRESS, on his stag do at the races with the Four Legs syndicate which part-owns Northview Hustler.
No more dressing up to see Hustler as the little trooper sets off to campaign in Brisbane
By Barry Lichter • 27 April 2019
Lincoln Farms flagship pacer Northview Hustler will be on a flight to Brisbane on Friday to join former stablemate Trojan Banner, his owners frustrated at the lack of opportunities for him here.
The five-year-old will join the Marburg stable of Al Barnes, who is already training Trojan Banner and Lincoln’s Girl for Lincoln Farms, and will be aimed at the A$50,000 Sunshine Sprint and A$200,000 Blacks A Fake at the July carnival.
Hustler, who was all primed to resume at Alexandra Park on Friday night, missed out on a run when the race he was entered for was cancelled because of insufficient nominations.
And after consulting with Auckland Trotting Club racing manager Regan Cotter about future programmes, Lincoln Farms boss John Street and business manager Ian Middleton believe they have no option than to send the horse overseas.
Northview Hustler beats Star Galleria with an all-the-way win in the Spring Cup last September. PHOTO: Joel Gillan/Race Images.Despite beating Star Galleria in the Spiring Cup last campaign, Hustler showed he was just below the top pacers in New Zealand.
But if he is to race in the second tier, Hustler faces starting from long handicaps, relentless chasing that can easily break horses’ hearts.
In Brisbane, Hustler can race every Saturday night for A$14,000 in much weaker company and Barnes believes the timing is perfect for him with many of the state’s top pacers nearing the end of their careers.
“He’ll be coming in on fresh legs into company that’s not that strong and I’ll have time to get him ready for the big winter features.’’
In his email to Lincoln Farms’ partners in Northview Hustler, Middleton says it was with trepidation that he brought the news of the horse’s departure, knowing how much they liked to be at Alexandra Park to watch him race. A feature of Lincoln Farms’ partnerships is the camaraderie that develops through its hospitality on race nights.
But to get the best return on their investment Brisbane seemed the obvious choice.
Four Legs syndicate manager Carl Officer admits he received the news with some sadness but acknowledges the need for the move.
While he and his seven Hamilton mates were enjoying the renaissance of their horse Trojan Banner in Brisbane, where he is unbeaten in five starts, the chance for a night out at Auckland was precious.
“When we saw Hustler in the noms on Monday we were really happy because it’s been nearly five months since we’ve been to the races.’’
There was never a dull moment when Officer and his mates turned up to watch Hustler.
They even went en masse to Christchurch for cup week, only to see Hustler withdrawn from the New Zealand Cup.
Now Officer says they have a big decision to make on whether to plan a Queensland jaunt to watch Hustler and Trojan Banner, or to save up to buy into another Lincoln Farms’ horse.
“We’re catching up for one of the boy’s birthdays this weekend and it will be on the agenda.’’
The Four Legs syndicate races Northview Hustler with John and Lynne Street, Middleton, Ian Gradwell, Chris Western and Shannon Flay.
His record stands at eight wins and seven placings from 41 starts for $127,471 in stakes.
Hustler’s owners and friends celebrating in the winners’ circle at Alexandra Park. PHOTO: Joel Gillan/Race Images.
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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.”
