KEY POINTS:
Star 3-year-old Weekend Hussler lived up to his huge reputation when effortlessly winning the Group One $1.2 million Newmarket Handicap at Flemington yesterday.
Trainer Ross McDonald was super confident the Hussonet gelding would continue on his winning ways despite having to carry 56kg after weights were raised a kilogram at acceptance time on Wednesday.
The last 3-year-old to carry as much weight in the 1200m feature was Baguette who won with 56kgin 1971.
The only other 3-year-olds to carry more weight to victory in the race were Ajax (57kg) in 1938 and Cranbrook (56.25kg) in 1888.
Weekend Hussler ($1.70 favourite) was sent out the shortest-priced Newmarket winner since Bernborough (4-9) in 1946.
And he was the first 3-year-old to complete the Oakleigh Plate-Newmarket double since the great sprinter Schillaci in 1992.
Ridden by Brad Rawiller, who has been on the horse in six of his seven wins including all four Group One victories, Weekend Hussler and Magnus ($16) came away from the rest of the field to fight out the finish.
But, just as he was in the Oakleigh Plate (1100m) at Caulfield when resuming last month, Weekend Hussler was too strong and scored by three quarters of a length with Grand Duels ($31) 2 1/2 lengths away third.
"He's a superstar," McDonald said.
"You only have to look at what he did today. You have to go back a lot of years to find a horse who has done what he has done.
"He's always shown us, and Les [Beer, trackwork rider] and Brad [Rawiller] have been confident in him.
"Les came back on him this morning and said 'he'll rock the clock today'.
"We just didn't need any bad luck. Brad took off at about the same time as he did when he won the Ascot Vale and the result was the same."
McDonald indicated that the $2.1 million Doncaster Handicap (1600m) at Randwick on April 26 was the next major goal for the gelding.
"Then next spring he'll be nominated for the Caulfield Cup, Cox Plate and the Melbourne Cup, but it seems the Cox Plate would be the most likely target.
"The Cox Plate looks like a nice race for him. I've won a couple of Caulfield Cups but I would like to win another one and I've never won a Melbourne Cup, so we'll see."
- AAP
