Nathan believes Alecto rates at least an upset hope in the Caduceus Ladyship Stakes (6.58) at Alexandra Park on Friday and at a luring $7 it might be worth while being a convert to the Purdon faith for the night.
All of Me is the raging favourite at $1.40 and many will think it justified but Alecto showed last week she is a worthy rival.
“All of Me is a very good filly but I like to think there is not that much between them.Alecto has gone on from last week as we expected with this race in mind. She has thrived and with the right luck in the running she is a strong contender. The draw is not ideal but she can be tough when she needs to be. She suits the 2200 can be tough when she needs to be and I am very happy with her”
Nathan is not quite so optimistic about Rubira as he tries his skills against the best open class pacers but hopes a shoeing adjustment will make a difference, especially late in the race.
“Last week we used glue- on plates on him. They worked ok and he went to the line better than it looked. Dad said he felt he might have been just reaching for more grip when he needed to accelerate when the pressure went on. So we are back to standard plates this week.Dad said he is very happy with Akuta but he too would improve with the run you would think ”
The downside of all that is the strength of the field.
“It’s just about as good a field of open class horses as you could get in New Zealand at the moment so it is not an easy task for a younger pacer on his way up.It’s going ot take him some time to adjust so we take it as it comes. Probably overall too he has been at his best over more testing trips than this but he is well enough to be in this somewhere”
Crippa Max is resuming after a short break and stands at $15 in the 8.59.
“He is not a maturely built sort at this stage and we put him in a easier race last time just to boost him along. He is going well enough but it might be a stretch for him to win it this week”
With a view to the Harness Millions etc coming up the fillies Wat Next and Shezsofast will also be headed to Alexandra Park but only for a workout before the races accompanied by the prospects for the Young Guns Filly Final.
On Saturday Nathan will be among the many watching Chase a Dream in the Miracle Mile after his sensational run in the leadup last week.
“He has always been quite brilliant but he went through periods where you just didn’t know what to make of him. Jason (Grimson) seems to have found an answer. If he went as good as he did last week you would have to give him a show of getting a place at least”
Chase a Dream is still owned by Mark and Chris Ryder and is likely to head to the Nullabor in Perth after the Miracle Mile. A Miracle Mile win would be one of the most astonishing comebacks in recent pacing history.