While not as universally acclaimed as the illustrious mares Black Caviar and Winx, jockey Brad Rawiller holds Weekend Hussler in equally high esteem and expressed a desire to have pitted him against the two legends.
Rawiller, who steered Ross McDonald’s exceptional racehorse to seven Group 1 victories in 2007 and 2008, believed Weekend Hussler had unmatched prowess as a miler. “Racing them at a mile would have been the real test,” Rawiller remarked. “Black Caviar might have had the upper hand at 1200 meters, and Winx at 2000 meters, but at a mile, Weekend Hussler could have really challenged them.”
“He was simply the best miler on the planet at his peak,” he added. “His victories in the Newmarket and the Oakleigh Plate were impressive, but he was extraordinary over a mile.”
Celebrating his 3000th win recently, Rawiller recalls the 2008 George Ryder Stakes over 1500 meters as Weekend Hussler’s crowning achievement. “I doubt any horse could have topped him that day,” he said.
He detailed how Weekend Hussler struggled initially with the direction of racing in Sydney, highlighting his narrow victory in the Randwick Guineas, which was his first race in that city. “He wasn’t himself, battling the track and barely won by a nose—it was pure heart,” Rawiller explained. However, by his next race, Weekend Hussler had acclimated and dominated. “He mastered the Sydney style by then and easily outperformed Racing To Win on heavy ground by three lengths. It was undoubtedly his finest performance.”
