Racing: Hasselhoof makes Logan's day

The best way to achieve in any sport is to never be happy where you are at.

Always aspire to the next level.

Yesterday morning Ruakaka trainer Donna Logan watched the television replays of Saturday's local races and was more interested in the two races she narrowly lost rather than the four she won.

The Logan stable produced four winners, three quinella results and one perfect trifecta.

Logan has a lot of time for a number of the horses she produced, but none more than Hasselhoof who made a stunning winning debut.

That was one of the trio of quinella results - Silencer, who finished second to Hasselhoof, was meant to have been split into another race.

"But that didn't happen," lamented Logan. "To Be Sure and Zafrenzy were beaten in close finishes. If they'd won and Silencer had been put in another race away from Hasselhoof, he'd have won and we'd have had seven winners."

Never being satisfied is not the same as failing to count your blessings and Logan is excited about the prospects of her horses.

The late Sir Rob Muldoon had one piece of advice for new MPs on their first day in Parliament: "This is not the top of the mountain, it's the bottom of the mountain." Logan thinks she can climb the mountain with Hasselhoof, one of the magical Tavistock breed from a Zabeel mare. Like a few others, Hasselhoof's trainer couldn't believe what the debut maiden achieved.

Matt Cameron received no response from Hasselhoof when he first attempted to improve his position back in the field at the 500m. The petrol was there, but Hasselhoof had no idea how to use it.

"He's just so green, he hasn't got a clue what he's out there for," says Logan. "I've got a fair bit of time for Silencer and when I saw him in front in the home straight I thought nothing was going to catch him and then suddenly Hasselhoof decided to get galloping and picked him up easily. I couldn't believe it." So superior were the Logan quinella horses there was 8.3 lengths back to third.

Remarkable as the effort was, Hasselhoof was nowhere near top gear as he brushed past his stablemate, simply because he did not know how to find that gear.

"When the penny drops with him he's going to be some horse. He's going to win a lot of good races and he'll stay. He'll be a 2400m horse."

Logan had some nice words about daughter Samantha.

"Sam picked out Hasselhoof at Karaka and she also spotted Fiamette, who won Race 10, and who I have a lot of time for. So she has a very good eye for a horse."

Logan is keen on the summer prospects of To Be Sure, who failed by the barest of margins to pick up Spin Doctor in the open sprint. "He'll go for a break and be aimed at the Rich Hill Mile at Ellerslie."

News out of the stable is Chris Gibbs will resume his training partnership with Logan from August 1. Gibbs trained in partnership with Donna and the late Dean Logan for seven years before moving to Australia three of four years ago. He rejoined the stable last year.

Things have settled down after the proposed sale of Volkstok'n'barrell. No agreement could be reached between the syndicate of owners of the star galloper. Some wanted to sell and some didn't.

"We were offered $3 million, but we couldn't reach an agreement, so we're keeping him. The good thing is it did not create a split in the syndicate, we are all still talking."

Logan is exceptionally delighted about the stable star. "I've never seen a horse like the way he is now. He's learned a lot from the boof he used to be - he's right into it now." Volkstok'n'barrell will either have a barrier trial or resume in the Foxbridge Plate at Te Rapa, or go straight to Melbourne for the Memsie Stakes.

"A lot will depend on how the tracks are shaping up here. He'll have an exhibition gallop between races at one of our meetings up here."

In case you believe Logan has a huge advantage racing on her home track, that can sometimes be a disaster as it proved with River Raider in the last race on Saturday.

It is an accepted fact that some horses can be unhappy racing on their home track because being creatures of habit they are used to training in the morning and racing, particularly late in the day when they should be eating dinner, is completely foreign to them.

River Raider certainly thought so. The normally reasonably placid horse initially refused to go to the start to the point Lee Magorrian had to dismount and lead him.

River Raider still played up and had to be withdrawn when he broke gear. If two out of three ain't bad, one out of 18 must be excellent.

McDonald's premiership odds slashed

James McDonald is a sensational betting mover in the race for the Sydney jockeys' premiership.

The early favourite for the title went out to $50 when he announced he would spend the remainder of the season riding in England.

But Godolphin trainer John O'Shea changed all that when he said McDonald would be required back in Sydney for at least the last two weeks of July. The New Zealander, said O'Shea, has Godolphin obligations back in Sydney for the last two weeks of the season.

"James might have some grandiose ideas about spending some time on a beach somewhere when he gets back but I can tell you he won't be," O'Shea said.

"The timeframe is for James to spend four-six weeks in England then he will have a week in New Zealand. From our perspective, it is imperative he spends the last couple of weeks in July with us as we will have a lot of our good horses trialling. They will be horses that require his presence."

Bookmakers laying odds on the premiership reacted sharply. Hugh Bowman is still favourite for the title at $2.30, but McDonald has been brought in from $51 to second favourite at $2.60. McDonald leads the premiership with 88 wins. Bowman is second on 82and Blake Shinn is third with 81 wins and is $3.50 for the premiership.