Exciting Prospect Hammer Down Young Guns Bound

HOT young Queensland sprinter Hammer Down will chase a couple of feature races coming up over the next few months.

Trainer Tony Brett said the royally bred son of Magic Sprite and Punch One Out would first chase the Albion Park Young Guns series next Thursday, but his main target would be the Group 3 Ipswich Cup in November which this year carries $75,000 to-the-winner.

Bought by Matt Attard at the Richmond Auction, Hammer Down has been a nightmare for connections until now.

“Just before the Vince Curry series at Ipswich in January, he tore a stomach muscle which put him out for three months,” said Brett.

“Then he cracked a fibula which meant another month on the sidelines. He came back into work and did the other fibula.”

But Brett said the time off had done Hammer Down the world of good.

“He was a bit of a scatter brain, but he is very settled now,” he said. “I told Matty we would get him fit, but not trial him before his first race start.”

That resulted in a scorching 24.70 win by almost 14 lengths.

“That blew me away,” said Brett. “I didn't think he was fit enough to run that sort of time. But he backed it up the following week in the maiden final with a 24.69.”

Brett then ran Hammer Down at Albion Park but he was beaten by Jan and Bill Warner's smart bitch Muza's Girl.

“I normally give them a post to post at Albion Park before a race there, but with this dog, knowing the injury problems he has had, we put him straight into a race,” said Brett.
He led and weakened but followed that with a strong victory in 30.08.

“He will probably run into the likes of No Easy Beat in the Young Guns, but he's got to get his chance in a race like that,” said Brett.

“And then the Ipswich Cup is at a track he knows oh so well. I doubt a lot of southern dogs will come up with the Cup at Ippy so he can head towards it.”

Attard shared in the ownership of former Brett star Opal Nera but he and a couple of friends sold their shares in him.

He then went on to win the Gold Coast Cup and run third in an Australian Cup.

“Matty has been fabulous with Hammer Down,” said Tony.

“He has had to be patient with him. Injury forced us to miss the Richmond Riches with him, but he is very sound now has a great future ahead of him.”