Nathan Street was in a temperamental mood when he was a beaten $1.50 favourite last Friday week, and now his driver Gary Hall jnr is confident he will make amends by winning the $25,000 Catalano Quality Used Truck Sales and Repairs Christmas Gift Qualifier No. 2 Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
The New South Wales-bred four-year-old has the ability to overcome the disadvantage of starting from the outside barrier in the field of nine, according to Hall.
Nathan Street was fractious in the score-up and contacted the barrier arm, causing a false start at his third WA appearance two Fridays ago, and in the re-start the gelding was out of position at the start from barrier eight before going forward in an unsuccessful bid to wrest the early lead from Fat Louie.
Nathan Street ran home determinedly to finish second, a half-length behind the fast-finishing outsider Era.
Five days later Nathan Street, who is trained by Gary Hall snr, scored an easy victory in a seven-horse trial over 2185m at Pinjarra. He began from barrier six and raced without cover for the first 400m before racing three back on the pegs in third place and then being eased off the pegs 500m from home and dashing to the front 400m later and beating the pacemaker This Time Jacko by two lengths, rating 1.59.6 after final 400m sections of 29.9sec. and 28.2sec.
“The trial was good, and I think he can make amends for his last-start defeat,” said Hall jnr.
Nathan Street’s chief rivals are expected to be the polemarker Blaze Away and last-start winner Fat Louie.
Blaze Away, to be driven by Emily Suvaljko for trainer Michael Young, has a losing sequence of 14 and has managed just one placing from his past twelve starts.
“If he happens to lead, he will be a great winning chance,” predicted Young. “He doesn’t try from anywhere else. We have put the saddle on him and have been riding him this week, and we will put the blocks on him in a bid to spark him up.”
Fat Louie, trained and driven by Chris Voak, impressed last Friday night when he began from the back line and raced in eighth position before he finished powerfully, out wide, to get to the front 130m from the post on his way to winning by more than a length from the fast-finishing Lil Happy Fella. The final 800m off the front was covered in a smart 56.5sec.
The previous Friday night Fat Louie set the pace from barrier six and finished a close-up third behind Era and Nathan Street.
“He can win again,” said Voak. “Fat Louie handled Blaze Away last week, and the previous week Nathan Street sat outside Fat Louie and got me by a neck. That run brought Fat Louie on, and he showed that with his win last Friday night. And I expect him to be even better this week. He’s got a good turn of foot, and he doesn’t have to lead to win. If he doesn’t lead, I’ll be happy to sit.”
