By MAGICAL BALE out of MUSTANG CHICK
whelped 14.3.20
Race videos are listed at the bottom of this page
Following the unprecedented success of the syndicate venture with CHASING LANDY, we had to attempt a follow up and so MUSTANG HIGHWAY was bought from the Cork sales on 11.9.21. Wilson, as he is known in the kennel, recorded a very competitive 28.94 on what was just his second public trial. As an unraced March 2020 whelp we hope there will be plenty more to come under the care and stewardship of Stuart Buckland and the team at Monmore Green.
Indeed there was. Dipping well under the 29 second barrier in his final grading trial, Wilson made his debut on 28.10.21 in an A3. Slowly away he showed great pace to challenge the leader on the inside at the first bend. That stopped them both in their tracks and let the six race clear. Wilson knuckled down and gave chase getting upside on the outside entering the home straight. He aimed for the rails and the six drifted wide and they bumped all along the straight. Wilson prevailed by about a neck. The slowish time underlined the trouble in the race but a winning debut is a winning debut!
He was rewarded with a D2 sprint for tactical reasons and we were both a little surprised and very happy indeed when he soon led and won the race in a splendid time leaving him unbeaten at two from two. His third appearance wasn’t forthcoming for a full two weeks leaving one of the syndicate claiming that the racing office were running scared! More likely they didn’t know quite where to put him with a slow winning time in A3 followed by a flying sprint.
Discretion being the better part of valour, Wilson was sent to Paddy Hennessey in Ireland to see if anything could be done to ensure he would keep his mind fully on the job in hand. He returned to action at Monmore Green in March 2022 when he led a trouble-marred A3 until fading badly off the last bend. Subsequently hewas kept to sprints, in D1 company throughout, winning by the minimum margin on 6.4.22 before falling out of the traps then stumbling on his next appearance. A sprint trial at Perry Barr beckoned to keep him on his toes.
Wilson ran three opens following that graded success but without looking likely to win. So many sprints are lost in the first couple of strides. The Racing Office were asked to put him back to graded company but they struggled to put together a suitable race and he didn’t get the number of races we would have liked or would have had over four bends. Happily he was then rostered for another D1 and promptly got back to winning ways.
Another fallow period ensued and Wilson was ultimately dropped to D2 but just the twice! On the second occasion he showed that he was much better than that and romped home and it was back to D1! A top grade win immediately ensued but the hat trick attempt sadly didn’t go so well. He fractured his hock yet still finished the race in third position! He’s since been a model patient, making light of the operation, insertion and subsequent removal of a pin. The bandages are now off and Wilson will shortly be off to his forever home via Hall Green RGT.
Wilson was a very fast dog and it was a pleasure to watch him run but there is just that element of ‘what if’ as his early career quirks prevented him from showing what he might have been able to do over four bends.
Mustang Highway’s race videos in date order
- 28.10.21 – A3 – won
- 10.11.21 – D2 – won
- 24.11.21 – A2
- 1.12.21 – A2
- 11.3.22 – A3
- 24.3.22 – D1
- 30.3.22 – D1
- 6.4.22 – D1 – won
- 13.4.22 – D1
- 28.4.22 – D1
- 4.5.22 – D1 – won
- 11.5.22 – D1 – won
- 6.6.22 – OR
- 11.6.22 – OR
- 9.7.22 – OR
- 20.7.22 – D1 – won
- 28.7.22 – D1
- 6.8.22 – OR
- 25.8.22 – D1
- 1.9.22 – D1
- 7.9.22 – D1
- 16.9.22 – D2
- 22.9.22 – D2 – won
- 29.9.22 – D1 – won