Have the stars aligned to finally provide talented Victorian sprinter Brooklyn Hustle with her breakthrough Group 1 victory in Saturday’s Robert Sangster Stakes (1200m) at Morphettville?
A cracking second behind spruik horse In The Boat last start and a reunion with jockey Jamie Kah have co-trainer Jason Warren optimistic his oft-maligned stable star can silence the critics.
“I’m very hopeful that we can get a win,” Warren said from Adelaide this week.
“She really deserves a Group 1 and she’s been thereabouts in quite a few.
“It’d be nice to get that Group 1 and shut up a few of the knockers, you know?”
Brooklyn Hustle is currently quoted around $9.50 with online bookmakers for Saturday’s feature, with last-start Group 1 winner September Run – to be ridden by Craig Williams – the $4.80 favourite.
The Brooklyn Hustle-Kah combination is no stranger to Adelaide success, with the duo landing the Group 3 Proud Miss Stakes over 1200m during last year’s Adelaide Racing Carnival.
The daughter of Starspanglebanner’s next start was the Sangster Stakes, where she finished a creditable fifth behind Instant Celebrity.
Brooklyn Hustle showed she was bang on target for a second tilt at the G1 Adelaide feature with a slashing run in the inaugural $500,000 Country Discovery over 1100m at Sale last month.
The five-year-old mare was wide throughout and passed the entire field in the straight, other than In The Boat – currently an early $6 elect for SA’s second 1200m Group 1, The Goodwood, later this month.
“Yeah, it was big run,” Warren said.
“Obviously the favourite for The Goodwood was in the right spot and we were in the wrong spot.”
Warren, who prepares his team with Dean Krongold at Mornington, said Brooklyn Hustle is well placed to improve on her 2021 Sangster finish.
“I think she’s going equally as good, if not better, than last year,” he said.
“Barrier 10 gives Jamie the option of being midfield, where she probably wants to be.
“We’re pretty happy to have Jamie on board, that’s for sure. She’s had two rides on her for a win and a narrow second.
“In last year’s Sangster Mark Zahra rode her and she drew 14. She had to go around the whole field and he had to use her turn of foot to put her into the race.
“It was a game effort, but if she’d drawn a better gate that day, I think she would’ve been in the finish.”
Brooklyn Hustle could run in The Goodwood on May 21 but is more likely to again head to Queensland, following her profitable sojourn north last year.
“More than likely we would head to Queensland; we went there last year and won the Dane Ripper,” Warren said.
“Handicap Group 1s are the way to go for her – if we can get her into the right ones.
“But we certainly wouldn’t rule out the Goodwood.”
Warren said Brooklyn Hustle worked pleasingly on the course proper at Morphettville on Tuesday morning.
The mare has won just four of her 22 starts, mainly due to her racing style, but is rarely far away, including a solid sixth in The Galaxy at Rosehill in March.
“In a lot of her runs she begins well, but then gets beaten for early speed,” Warren noted.
“Unfortunately she’s got got a race pattern of getting back and needing luck. Hopefully we get some this Saturday.”
Brooklyn Hustle’s last win was the Group 2 Dane Ripper Stakes at Eagle Farm last June.
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