Lucky Hussler can cement his reputation as a giant killer if he wins Saturday’s Fred Best Classic at Doomben.
Last December Lucky Hussler was a $12 chance when he defeated the odds-on favourite and subsequent Group One winner Sizzling in the Vo Rogue Plate.
On Saturday in the Group Three Fred Best Classic (1350m), the same track and distance as his biggest win, Lucky Hussler has been listed at $18 while Sizzling is the $3.50 equal favourite with Gold Coast Guineas winner Academus.
Lucky Hussler’s trainer Kent Fleming was delighted when the gelding drew barrier two for Saturday, directly outside Sizzling.
“You need good barriers to win any race but it’s essential in these feature races and he should get a good trip from there,” Fleming said.
Lucky Hussler made a low-key return to racing when he finished fifth in a 1000 metre three-year-old event on a slow track at the Sunshine Coast, the day after many of his Classic rivals competed in the Gold Coast Guineas.
“He wasn’t quite ready to go 1200 metres first-up in the Guineas which is why I elected him to run him in the shorter race at the Sunshine Coast,” Fleming said.
“I was happy with his run. He had to carry 61 kilos and the distance was well short of his best but he made up a lot of ground in the straight after missing the start.”
Fleming believes Lucky Hussler has derived much benefit from his first-up run and predicts he will be suited in the Classic with the likelihood of a fast tempo.
“Every race last prep was a high pressure race and he coped with it well and although it’s a very strong field on Saturday and he’s got to step up, I think he’s capable of doing it,” he said.
“He’s suited with the speed on and that’s why he likes Doomben because the pace is normally on in races there.”
While Fleming believes an inside draw is favourable for Lucky Hussler, Kelso Wood thinks gate one is the worst barrier possible for Sizzling.
“I was a bit horrified when I saw it,” Wood told Brisbane’s RadioTAB.
Sizzling didn’t disappoint Wood when he finished fifth to Academus in the Gold Coast Guineas.
“He got squeezed out at the start and he was chasing all the way after that,” he said.
“I thought he did a mighty job to finish where he did and he coughed up half the Gold Coast track after the race with dirt and grass down his neck.”
