Ross McDonald will be happy to see a fast run race for star four-year-old Weekend Hussler who has drawn perfectly in barrier three for Saturday's Underwood Stakes at Caulfield.The trainer said Weekend Hussler would settle in the first five in the 13-horse feature which will be the reigning Horse Of The Year's first test beyond 1600m."He'll settle either first, second, third, fourth or fifth," said McDonald who is not concerned in the slightest about the 1800m trip."Maldivian will go forward and
Ross McDonald will be happy to see a fast run race for star four-year-old Weekend Hussler who has drawn perfectly in barrier three for Saturday's Underwood Stakes at Caulfield.
The trainer said Weekend Hussler would settle in the first five in the 13-horse feature which will be the reigning Horse Of The Year's first test beyond 1600m.
"He'll settle either first, second, third, fourth or fifth," said McDonald who is not concerned in the slightest about the 1800m trip.
"Maldivian will go forward and Froggy (Craig Newitt) will push forward from one (on Light Fantastic). Zarita will be up handy and Indio Glorioso will also go forward.
"Brad can put him where he wants. He can sit three off the fence and some of the others will be five or six wide going around the first turn."
"I hope the pace is on. He's such a brilliant horse, he can make two runs in a race and sprint at the end.
"He can just go out and do the job. The way he relaxes, the way he works we've got no worries about him over the 1800 metres."
The Caulfield Cup and Cox Plate favourite is chasing his seventh Group One win and is the $1.70 favourite with TAB Sportsbet to take out the weight-for-age feature.
McDonald said Weekend Hussler was in "super" order and had improved three lengths since his easy 2-1/2 length-win in the Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) at Flemington last Saturday week over Underwood rivals Zarita, Littorio and Light Fantastic.
"They'll have to improve six lengths to beat him. He (jockey Brad Rawiller) only hit him (with the whip) twice," said the Caulfield trainer.
Craig Newitt, who swam with the sharks at the Melbourne Aquarium this morning before the barrier draw which was held at that venue, said gate one was not a perfect draw for his mount Light Fantastic.
"It's definitely better than 13. He's a big striding horse who needs a bit of room so it's not perfect, but I'll take it anyway," he said.
Newitt and trainer Mick Price were disappointed that the grey could finish only fourth in the Makybe Diva, but the jockey was buoyant about his prospects on Saturday.
"We've got full confidence in the horse that he'll bounce back," he said.
"The horse has shown us loads of ability and I think he'll be right in the finish."
Price's other runner Pompeii Ruler, who will have a new rider in Steven Arnold on Saturday, drew barrier four, while the Mark Kavanagh-trained Maldivian came up with barrier seven.
The Pat Hyland-trained Zarita drew nicely in five, while Littorio will jump from 10.
The David Hayes-trained trio all drew wide with Indio Glorioso to jump from nine, The Fuzz 11 and Kibbutz 13.
Owner and OTI syndicate manager Terry Henderson, who has Indio Glorioso and Kibbutz engaged, said Indio Glorioso had "set the race up" for Weekend Hussler in the Makybe Diva by leading at a leisurely pace.
"But with Indio Glorioso and Maldivian, two front running horses, it (the Underwood) will be a more genuinely run race," he said.