News

Heat won't stop Hussler making Lightning dash

28th Jan 2009

Sydney Morning Herald - By Patrick Bartley and Andrew Eddy - Wednesday, January 28, 2009

TRAINER Ross McDonald believes the measures the Victoria Racing Club will adopt on Saturday to combat the expected stifling heat is enough to ensure his champion, Weekend Hussler, will take his place in the Lightning Stakes field.

With Victoria bracing for four days of 40-degree heat, McDonald said the VRC's idea of hosing down horses immediately after races was a positive move. The Caulfield trainer said he was at Randwick last Saturday and endured the extreme humidity but said the AJC's decision to have three men hosing down horses immediately after each race was successful.

"It seemed to work well," McDonald said. "We are on a tight time frame with the horse as he's going to race every two weeks for six weeks and if I miss one race that'll make his preparation pretty tough."

Racing Victoria acting chief steward Allan Reardon said he and his panel would monitor the heat situation.

Trainer David Hayes is hoping he can produce a wildcard to upstage Weekend Hussler and Apache Cat in the Lightning.

Hayes will start former South African sprinter Seventh Rock in the race. The four-year-old, formerly trained by Charles Laird, had a trial at Flemington yesterday. "[Laird] told me that Seventh Rock is a horse blessed with a good turn-of-foot," Hayes said. "We've had him back at Lindsay Park for the past three months … his trackwork is worthy of competing in a race like the Lightning Stakes."

Seventh Rock will be ridden by South African Anton Marcus.