Racing: Big offers for Hasselhoof

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Hasselhoof may not be around for much longer in New Zealand. Trainer Donna Logan yesterday confirmed he is definitely on the market and likely to be sold.

Which will be a shame because excitement machines like the runaway winner of his only two starts are a rarity.

"Yes, he's a freak," said an excited Logan yesterday.

"Volkstok'n'barrell is a super horse and even he wasn't as impressive as this horse in winning his first two races."

For the record, Hasselhoof won by 11 lengths and ran the 1600m in a staggering 1:34.46, a full second and a half faster than the open-class horses earlier on the programme.

Leading jockey Matt Cameron was as staggered as Logan.

"He was cruising halfway around then he lost focus. But when he switched on he sprinted and was around them in a couple of strides.

"When he straightened up he just went 'pow'."

Cameron says Hasselhoof has that quality unique to freakish horses - he disguises how quickly he is travelling. "I swear you don't realise how fast he is going."

Cameron said he would love to ride Hasselhoof over 2200m. "He relaxes so beautifully and the acceleration he shows would make him unbeatable."

Logan says the offers for Hasselhoof are "massive".

"But the offers have to be confirmed then he has to pass vets' tests, so there's a lot of ground to travel yet."

If Hasselhoof is not sold he may accompany Volkstok'n'barrell to Melbourne and run in a A$150,000 3 and 4-year-old 2000m event in a few weeks.

"That's a nice race for him," said Logan.

"Beyond that there is the Karaka Mile and the Dunstan Final. He's very big and he's still so dumb."

There have also been offers for stablemate Silencer, who finished second to Hasselhoof on debut and won clearly on the undercard on Saturday.

"He's also a very smart horse and he will probably stay in New Zealand."

The public quickly rallies around superstar-type horses.

An enormous roar went up when Hasselhoof sprinted around the leaders on the home bend.

"It put shivers down your spine," says Logan. "All the way down the straight people were shouting: 'Go the hoof. Go the hoof.'

"That's lovely, just lovely."

Bleeding is a cruel development in racehorses - one strike and then it's life.

Which is why it was wonderful to see Bechtolsheimer come back from a bleeding attack and win at Ruakaka on Saturday.

Joanne Surgenor has done a wonderful job of preparing the former Southerner with a real liking for the Ruakaka surface.

Bechtolsheimer has a record of six starts on the northern track for three wins and two placings.

Former high-profile Sydney jockey Kevin Moses is the latest to fall foul of the cobalt threshold.

Moses was advised by stewards late last week one of his horses had returned a cobalt positive.