Trainer Jason Warren barely raised an eyebrow on Tuesday morning when he plucked barrier 15 for his perennially unlucky – but talented – sprinter Brooklyn Hustle.
It might seem like more of the same, but few horses in the $502,250 Group 1 TAB Classic would be better suited to the wide gate, as the Victorian horseman explained after the Morphettville barrier draw.
“Obviously you’d like to draw in a bit closer, but for her race pattern it’s probably fine,” Warren said.
“She’ll be back in the second half of the field and hopefully making her run down the outside.
“The big track will definitely help her. A lot of her runs have been at Moonee Valley where she’s just been held up for too long.
“So she’ll get her chance and she can make her run when she wants to this time. She’s due for some luck, so hopefully it comes Saturday.”
Brooklyn Hustle hits the 1200m fillies and mares event (registered as the Sangster Stakes) off a typically fast-finishing seventh in the Group 1 William Reid Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley last month.
The striking chestnut has only two career wins to her credit, but has long been touted as a potential Group 1 winner, due to her whirlwind finishes, including a close fourth – beaten just 0.3 of a length – in the Group 1 Oakleigh Plate at Caulfield in February.
Warren – who co-trains with Dean Krongold – has been in Adelaide all week with his stable star, who worked on the Morphettville course proper on Tuesday morning before the barrier draw function.
“It was just nice to come over a bit early and give her a chance to do her final piece of work here,” he said.
“She’s off to the beach (Wednesday) morning and she’ll just have a nice, quiet week leading up to Saturday’s race.”
The unique conditions of the TAB Classic as Australia’s sole 1200m Group 1 for fillies and mares are what made Saturday’s event so appealing for Brooklyn Hustle.
“It would be terrific to get a Group 1 with her,” Warren said.
“We’ve really targeted this race for quite some time. Being restricted to fillies and mares, it’s much more suitable.”
Currently marked an $11 chance in TAB markets, Brooklyn Hustle will be ridden by Mark Zahra on Saturday.
IMAGE: Trainer Jason Warren draws barrier 15 for his sprinter Brooklyn Hustle, who is chasing her maiden Group 1 win in Saturday’s TAB Classic at Morphettville.
