3 minute read
Trainer Darryl Hansen could not have wished for a better homecoming when former Sydney mare Hussonator continued her remarkable winning sequence in last weekend's $100,000 Townsville Cup.
Hussonator recorded here seventh successive win since coming under Hansen's care after she was purchased out of Gerald Ryan's northern satellite stable as a Class 1 horse.
Hansen grew up in Townsville and has made a name for himself as a trainer of high ability since he moved his stable from Mackay to Caloundra last December.
"To win seven out of seven's a great feat, and to win the Townsville Cup, where I grew up, it's just amazing," Hansen told the Townsville Bulletin.
"I'm a hometown boy here. We've been winning some nice races in Brisbane but this is right up there with them."
Hussonator may well be the most improved horse currently racing in Australia.
The four-year-old added the Townsville Cup to a Mackay Cup win in a winning sequence that began in a Class 1 at the Sunshine Coast in May.
Hussonator was purchased cheaply by Hansen on the recommendation of a bloodstock agent and he now trains the mare for a blue collar north Queensland syndicate that includes miners, a fireman, a baker and a carpenter.
"She's come a long way. I know when you get mares travelling well they do keep performing but she's a very amazing horse,” Hansen said."We're now contemplating the Cairns Cup but we're going to let the dust settle.
"I like to keep mares racing when they're racing good. I've made the mistake of spelling them before and then they do not come back.”
Winning jockey Adrian Coome, 22, also had plenty to celebrate as he recently switched base from Rockhampton to Mackay seeking better opportunities.
Old Mates Act almost gave first-year Mackay trainer Darren Symons a fairytale result when he finished gamely for second.
