THE locals really had to hustle to get some success on their home track on Friday.
And in the end the only glimmer of success came in the fourth on the card – the $27,000 Ultimate Hotel Maiden Plate over 1200m.
When the super hot hoop Harry Coffey saddled the odds-on favourite Hustle for the McEvoy stable.
With a third on debut at Moonee Valley and a disappointing ninth out of 10 at Ballarat last October, Hustle had been tipped out for 20 weeks and launched into her second prep with a third at Kilmore in mid March.
That was enough to convince everyone the three-year-old filly was the best bet in Friday’s field of 11.
And the jump would have made everyone happy, running with cover in fifth, which is basically where she and Coffey stayed until they turned for home.
Where, despite running a bit like a shopping trolley at times, Coffey managed to steal a winning break, including seeing off a strong challenge by Jumpin’ Jewellette – which tried hard but was not quite good enough.
The rest of the maidens might as well have been in another race, with the best of them about five lengths away.
Coffey said his charge was given every chance by being put in the right race.
“Yes, she was very well placed but when she got to the straight she had a little bit of a wander and was waiting for the opposition, but she found enough late to get the job done,” he said.
“She might also appreciate a little bit more give – the track today was beautiful, with great grass cover, but had been starting to get a bit firm.”
As happy as Coffey was – he has 66 winners for the season, with the best part of four months to go, compared with 81 for the previous 12 months – his was the only real smile amongst the locals.
Apart from his solitary success, trainers Helen Burns, Jane Duncan, Heath Chalmers, Nathan Hobson, Austy Coffey, Con Kelly and Noel Watson started a total of 21 runners and the best they could manage was in the second last of the meeting, the $27,000 Pooles Accountants Handicap over 1300m. That was where Austy and Harry Coffey managed second with Wareo Road and Nathan Hobson and Madison Lloyd filled third with It’s Maui’s Gold behind Paul Preusker’s Artpark.
But if you had risked a dollar each way your biggest return had to be Jane Duncan’s Paulsin, with Makisha Salter in the saddle, which went out at 80/1, finished third and returned a handsome $13.20 for the place.
