Hurricane storms to Melton glory

Brilliant four-year-old Hurricane Hustler, a son of Wingate Farm’s resident sire Warrawee Needy, further underlined his potential with a barnstorming front-end win at harness racing’s Melton track on Saturday night (Sep. 3).

Sent to the top at the outset, the entire gradually increased the tempo, carving out the last three sectionals in 29, 28.6 and 28.4 on his way to a 15 metres victory. He rated a slick 1:55.9 for 2240 metres.

It was his fifth success from only 12 starts.

Uncle Shank, another member of Warrawee Needy’s first crop, scored a runaway win in a career-best 1:50.4 at Albion Park one week earlier. The Group winner has now won 14 of his 22 lifetime starts for $132,393 in stakes.

Warrawee Needy, the former world mile record holder, was represented by a trio of three-year-old winners in Flame Up (1:55.9), Ideal In Dreams (1:57) and Need A Penny (1:59.3) and the four-year-old Ripponlea.

Warrawee Needy has left 38 individual winners from 61 starters in Australia – a 63 per cent strike rate.

The four-time Group 1 winner Tintin In America, a studmate of Warrawee Needy, sired winners in both hemispheres last week.

Among his Australian winners were the three-year-olds Zara’s A Treasure (1:59.8) and Tasha’s Spartan and the older performers Wotdidusaaay and Cavalry Call, who took his earnings to beyond $130,000.

In North America, Kiwi Tintin (1:52.6) and Titanium (1:55.4), both members of Tintin In America’s NZ crops, scored at Plainridge Park, Massachusetts and Yonkers Raceway, New York respectively. Kiwi Tintin’s lifetime stake tally is $US244,871, while Titanium has now earned almost $US180,000.

The North America Cup winner Fear The Dragon, whose frozen semen is available from Wingate Farm, was represented by a pair of fast Buckeye Stallion Series heat winners in Pearl Snaps (1:51.8) and Self Made (1:52).

Fear The Dragon’s three-year-olds have banked $1.3 million this year, while his two-year-olds have earned $744,000 with 81 starters from 114 foals.

by Peter Wharton, for Harnesslink