When push comes to shove, Nathan opts for WAT NEXT as the pick of his fillies in the Sires Stakes Semi-Final for three year olds at Cambridge Friday.
“ALECTO was a little disappointing to us last time out but she has gone on well from that and has an inside gate at last. She has had some tricky ot just difficult gates in a lot of her races. But her overall record is solid and with the right trip she is a definite top three in this”
Much will depend on how she goes out of the gate and Mark Jones and Crystal Hackett will be two just as anxious as Nathan. Their well backed runner, Queen Lizzy, a yearling sales topper from ex Purdon star Princess Tiffany, is on her back in the second row.
Queen Lizzy and winner River were well clear of the others in the Harness Millions leadup and the Jones runner has a change of gear.
The race is further complicated by the trans Tasman runner,Ripples, given Luke McCarthy is not a man lacking in summing up the form and the tactics. A former Kiwi she was a Group 1 winner (Bathurst Crown) in Australia 12 months ago, returned here for features later in the year and most recently won again at Bathurst before running second there in the $A100,000 Gold Bracelet Final at her last start.
She has placed in 1.49 and change and holds a winning time of 1.51.1 when winning the Raith Memorial a feature age group event at Menangle.
Luke’s battle here is being drawn inside the second row but with the promising Smackdown going out from the ace for the Steven Reid barn. If she holds Luke will be laughing but the Purdon runners and others may want to have a say about that.
So to WAT NEXT, a filly Nathan feels is in the right place at the right time.
“She is very well just now, best she has been for a while and she has gate speed so she can use the draw. On that basis I would lean her way of the two.”
Wat Next has had just the one run back when she was a victim of circumstances in the Harness Millions at Alexandra Park. Mark sent her forward early and was then left park before getting some cover in the last round. But the field became bunched and crowded and by the home turn when Mark had worked clear the race was over the lead pair having established a big lead.
Wat Next won the two year old version of the Millions admittedly in a moderate time,trailing stablemate Shezsofast.She ran fourth in a Sires Stakes heat won by Ripples at Ashburton but was one of the several in the Purdon team affected by a virus at the worst possible time over the Cup carnival. Given a good break she is now back with enthusiasm and in what may not be the open and shut race it may look to some,has her chance to make a mark, even if improving further with the run.
The good news about DELANEY,the stable runner in the opening event on the night is that he can’t be worse than fifth with five runners competing for $25,000. Delaney is on an upward curve in a light preparation and will get his chance to stay in touch in the small field. While Off Shore looks hard to beat Delaney represents some upset value at $3.50 while SPECIAL OCCASION, probably in need of a run but with class on his best day, resumes in the Sires Stakes Semi with a Derby plan also in view.