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All honours to the front-running warrior Coal Crusher for his second win in the $1 million Newcastle Herald Hunter but it was hard to miss a couple of those closing off fast at the end of 1300m.

Chief among them is Estadio Mestalla, who clocked the race’s fastest last 600m of 33.17 and last 200m of 11.24 after the wide gate forced him to settle at the tail.

What the run did was back up his excellent first-up win and show that he’s on target to go around again in this weekend’s $1 million Illawarra Mercury Gong over the mile at Kembla Grange.

That was always the plan from trainer Joe Pride and he couldn’t have expected a whole lot more from the gelding given the task he was set, not only coming from last but he had to circle the field and Punter’s Intelligence data revealed he covered more ground than any other runner.

An extra 11.3m.

He’ll face a task against defending Gong champ Gringotts but he does get 5.5kg and he won the Benchmark 88 mile at the corresponding meeting last year in track record time.

Kosciuszko winner Clear Thinking showed she measures up to this level as she’s clocked the second fastest last 600m of 33.30 running into fourth.

The mare ran the fastest 400m-200m of 10.71 as she sprinted a little better than Estadio Mestalla and just peaked on the run late running 11.44 but still the second fastest final 200m.

Infancy has also run well from the back, clocking 33.41 for her last 600m, while the Pride gelding ran past her late she might be one to keep in mind for something a notch below.

The Hunter was run some five lengths faster than the Benchmark 94 over the same distance.

Interestingly, the two races were run somewhat similarly in the early stages but Coal Crusher put the foot down from around midrace.

Coal Crusher’s first 700m was run in 42 seconds, Brave One led the last in 42.13 for the same section.

Dylan Gibbons on Brave One was able to get away with quite a soft next 200m as the difference ballooned from 0.13 to 0.79 or from just under a length to almost five lengths.

Unfortunately not all the runners in the final event returned sectional times, but there were a couple that stood out of those who did.

For reference, Brave One has run 34.81 for his last 600m (Coal Crusher ran 34.07) and his last 200m was 11.87.

Shihab started a $31 chance and has run home from near last on the turn in 33.71 with a last 200m of 11.75.

And Just Party, who finished alongside that horse, has run a handy 34.20 first-up with a sharp 10.75 from the 400m-200m and a last 200m of 11.78.

Seeiaye was a bit too quick for them in winning the Max Lees Classic run over the 900m and while this race was also affected by some sectional glitches we can take a good deal out of some of those that chased him home.

From the front he's run 32.87 for his final 600m making it basically impossible for him to be run down.

Runner-up Mystical has hit the line in 32.68 for her last 600m, and Jaipur Maison had a bit of a checkered passage before recording 32.38 and the fastest last 200m of 11.26 just ahead of Mystical’s 11.30.

Another youngster to make a promising start was Tenenbaum, he’s run 32.73 for his last 600m and shapes as a horse who will excel over more ground.

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