Veteran sprinter Coal Crusher is slated to make his last racecourse appearance in Saturday’s running of The Hunter at Newcastle, a prestigious event he has claimed on two prior occasions.
Coal Crusher secured victory in Newcastle’s most lucrative race in 2023 and again in the subsequent year. He also achieved a third-place finish behind Briasa in 2024.
Indeed, Saturday marks the fifth consecutive year Coal Crusher will compete at The Hunter meeting, having also triumphed in a Benchmark 88 race at the venue in 2022.
However, trainer Joe Pride indicated that Coal Crusher, the nine-year-old gelding renowned for his vibrant chestnut coat, will almost certainly be racing for the final time on Saturday.
“This will probably be Coal Crusher’s last run,” Pride stated. “He’s been a great old horse, he’s as tough as nails, but he’s done his job.”
Coal Crusher, who boasts 53 starts yielding 10 wins and accumulating over $2.8 million in prize money, is among the nominations for The Hunter, alongside stablemates Accredited and Kerguelen.
Pride has adhered to the familiar spring carnival schedule leading into The Hunter, a strategy that has proven highly effective for Coal Crusher in recent seasons, though the trainer acknowledges his veteran sprinter’s lead-up form has not been as strong as in previous years.
Coal Crusher heads into The Hunter following a last-place finish among 16 runners in the Group 2 Sydney Stakes and subsequently finishing 14th out of 15 in the Group 2 Russell Balding Stakes.
“He seems good, he’s fit and well, but his lead-up runs are not where they have been the last couple of years,” Pride commented. “But he’s an older horse now, he’s been getting into awkward sports in his last few starts and he’s a quirky horse. I’ve waited for The Hunter to put the blinkers back on and he always races well at Newcastle so I’m expecting a much better run on Saturday.”
Pride confirmed that Accredited, who finished second to Coal Crusher in last year’s The Hunter, will again contest the major race. However, the trainer remains undecided on whether Kerguelen will challenge his stablemates or be held for the Benchmark 94 race on the same program.
Accredited made a solid return with a narrow third to Polyglot in the Choisir Handicap at Royal Randwick on Melbourne Cup Day. Kerguelen, in his second start of the preparation, finished seventh in the same event.
“I thought Accredited was really good first-up and he’s trained on well,” Pride explained. “It’s going to be a very strong Hunter again so I would hope Accredited can draw well. Kerguelen is fitter now but I’m looking at whether we go for the benchmark 94 race with him.”
Pride also offered an update on another of his stable’s enduring nine-year-olds, the esteemed Private Eye. This gelding secured his 15th career victory from 57 starts, pushing his earnings beyond $13.3 million after winning the Group 2 Linlithgow Stakes at Flemington on Derby Day.
“I’ve decided to give Private Eye a ‘holiday’, he’s gone for spell,” Pride revealed. “He’s going really well and we will look at an autumn campaign for him.”
Those looking to back Coal Crusher in his farewell appearance can explore the racing odds available at leading Australian betting sites.