HUETOR ON THE CUSP OF HISTORY
Ben Dorries
It doesn’t seem quite right to mention Huetor in the same breath as the legendary Rough Habit.
Even Huetor’s co-trainer Peter Snowden says “this horse is no Rough Habit”.
But, incredibly, Huetor can join the champion Rough Habit in racing’s history books this Queensland winter carnival as he chases a famous hat-trick of Group 1 Doomben Cup wins.
Rough Habit, the 11-time Group 1-winning freak, achieved the extraordinary feat in the early 1990s when he scored the Doomben Cup in 1991, 1992 and 1993.
Incredibly, Rough Habit also won the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap in two of those years.
On Saturday, Huetor – with two consecutive Doomben Cups under his belt in which he has beaten Zaaki both times – kicks off his Sunshine State push to match Rough Habit in the history books.
The French import is the $3.40 favourite to win the Group 2 Hollindale Stakes, which has been won by the now retired Zaaki for the past three years.
To be staged at the Sunshine Coast this year, the 1800m Hollindale is the traditional lead-up to the $1m Group 1 Doomben Cup (2000m) a fortnight later.
“I remember Rough Habit very well and he was very, very good,” Snowden, who trains in partnership with son Paul, said. “This horse is no Rough Habit, believe me. But he is genuine and the timing has been right for him and this time of year he hits a bit of form.”
Huetor arrives in Queensland this year arguably in better form than in previous years, having scored a surprise last start win when sent out a $15 chance in the Group 3 JRA Plate over 2000m at Randwick.
Snowden said the seven-year-old gelding appreciated the heavy track that day – and it seems likely he will now strike another significantly rain-affected track at the Sunshine Coast.
“He does like wet ground. He’s not like a Redzel who finds five lengths, but he handles it and gets through it while some others struggle,” Snowden said.