Could Weekend Hussler be the next Melbourne Cup champion?
11 March 2008 - Rising superstar, Weekend Hussler has done it again adding the Group 1 Newmarket Handicap to his impressive list of victories with a dominating performance at Flemington on Saturday. The boom sprinter has now won seven times from nine starts, including brilliant wins in the Caulfield Guineas and Oakleigh Plate for a total of almost $2 million in prize money.Starting the short-priced favourite ($1.70) in Saturday's event, Weekend Hussler had to overcome a 56 kg burden, the most carried by a three-year-old since Ajax in 1938 (57kg). Challenged only by Magnus ($16), he ran 11 second sectionals to cover the last 600-metres in 33.60 seconds, winning the race by 3/4-lengths. Grand Duel ($31) in third was a further 21/4-lengths back.
Weekend Hussler now travels to Sydney for the Autumn Carnival where he will have at least two starts, including a go at the Doncaster Handicap at Randwick (26 April). The young champion is also expected to join the world's elite sprinters, closing in on the legendary Sacred Champion (rated 123) and Cox Plate winner El Segundo (rated 122), when he is rated at least 120 at the next round of international ratings due at the end of March.
Looking ahead to this year's Spring Carnival, trainer Ross McDonald is keeping his options open and Weekend Hussler could be aimed at the Cox Plate, a Caulfield Cup repeat and the Melbourne Cup. Time will tell what the future holds, but on his current form, The Hussler is sublime and anything seems possible. McDonald believes he will be even better at middle distances and all indications are that the best is yet to come.
Apart from Weekend Hussler, Saturday's meeting gave an intriguing insight into another future star of Australian racing with Light Fantastic exploding into the top tier of racing with a gritty win in the Cadbury Guineas. The boom three-year-old, who made his racing debut on 3 February, is unbeaten in four starts.
Light Fantastic will now be spelled, but there is already talk of the two young superstars meeting in the Cox Plate, an encounter which could be the clash of the spring. With the possibility of back-to-back Caulfield Cups and the allure of the Melbourne Cup – you can expect Weekend Hussler to make more than headlines this Spring Carnival.
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