HAT-TRICK-SEEKING HASTEN CAN PROVE EQUAL TO THE TASK AGAIN

Trainer Lines’ 5YO in good form, but Yes Man could challenge him in Class 3 contest

- Brian Miller

Those last two wins - which gave Hasten back-to-back victories — were something to savour.

Trained by Richard Lines, the son of Hellbent first walloped his rivals in the Class 4A contest (1,020m) on Oct 12, galloping away to win by an easy 21/4 lengths under Khaw Choon Kit.

Thirteen days later, on Oct 25, it was 2kg-claimer, Syafifie Zailuddin, who took the reins aboard Hasten in a Class 3 event over the same trip.

The five-year-old galloper proved to be just as swift and, in a galloping show, he carried the Ipoh-based apprentice jockey to a half-length win.

In the process, he also inflicted the first defeat on trainer Simon Dunderdale’s promising four-year-old Fright, who had previously strung together three wins in a row.

Hasten is a runner on the up-and-up.

The six-time winner goes over his pet trip of 1,020m in another Class 3 race on Nov 8 and, to iron out any rough edges, Lines sent Hasten out for a tuneup session on Nov 4.

He would have earned nods of approval when clocking a breezy 42sec for the 600m, which was after he had a fine canter on the track rated good.