Hog Creek Hustle ready for War of Will rematch
Hog Creek Hustle, who ran well finishing second in the Lecomte, will try War of Will again in the Risen Star if all goes well, trainer Vickie Foley said Sunday.
“It looks like he came out of the race good. We’re looking forward to moving on to the Risen Star,” Foley said.
Hog Creek Hustle got a career-best 88 Beyer in the Lecomte, finishing two lengths in front of third-place Manny Wah. More importantly, he demonstrated that his effective late-running sprint style could translate to route racing. Hog Creek Hustle had sprinted to maiden and allowance wins and was coming off a closing third in the six-furlong Sugar Bowl at Fair Grounds, but his lone two-turn start produced a 10th-place finish Sept. 18 in the Iroquois Stakes at Churchill Downs.
“We just drew a line through that,” said Foley, who trains Hog Creek Hustle for Something Special Racing.
“We had a huge traffic problem in the first turn, got bounced around three different times, and this horse didn’t want any part of that. We always felt like he’d go two turns.”
Hog Creek Hustle - by Overanalyze out of the Candy Ride mare, Candy Fortune – will probably have two maintenance-type works before the Risen Star, Foley said.
“He’s fit. He’ll do some long gallops and get some endurance under him. It’s very exciting. We’re looking forward to a good next few months.”
