Racing: Nashville tunes up for shot at $1m

Nashville sits on $973,008 and needs the $28,125 winning stake to take him past the $1 million mark. Photo / Race Images

Second is not a good result for Nashville in tomorrow's $50,000 Daphne Bannan Memorial Great Easter Stakes at Riccarton.

Panic not, if you backed the grand old-timer for a place, you will be paid, but the owners will miss out.

Miss out, that is, on the nine-year-old becoming a millionaire. Nashville sits on $973,008 and needs the $28,125 winning stake to take him past the $1 million by $1133. Second will not be good enough.

That is a remarkable achievement for even a classic winner, but to do that as a nine-year-old veteran, well, a lot of credit will due to the Bull stable at Hunterville.

Is it possible? Well, Nashville has not raced since November, on this track, and has a great record fresh from a spell — six fresh runs for three wins.

It is clear the stable has aimed him deliberately at this race, where he has five wins and four placings from 13 starts, a great record at a track in the opposite island to where he is trained.

The 60kg will not make it easy for Nashville, but he has earned the impost. Take Gore-trained fellow topweight Irish Excuse. He has won just $161,650 — well short of $1m — and is on the same R98 level. You cannot make the case Nashville is badly treated.

There is something to admire about a veteran shaping up at this level in his 10th year after 70 starts, almost all the the top level.

Jump to it

We have a different issue at Te Rapa tomorrow — seven days after hosting the slickest late-season three-year-olds, we see the jumping season kick off for real with three extremely interesting races.

Punters have a nightmare on their hands working out the form at these early season meetings, with runners mainly having jumps trial results to go on.

So we asked trainers for their opinion.

Stephen Ralph was very open about his stylish jumper Thenamesbond, who goes around in the $20,000 Ken and Roger Browne Memorial Steeplechase. The top class hurdler has a record of three wins and a placing from five steeplechases.

But while a win here would not surprise Ralph at all, he wants everyone to know he's had his issues with his stable's big winner.

"He hurt his shoulder at Ellerslie in September last year and we managed to get him back to win the Steeples at Te Aroha a month later. He felt the shoulder again in that race and we've had the chiropractor to him ever since.

"He seems fine now, but the chiropractor said he needs to be racing to improve it further.

"We honestly expect him to run 1-2 in this race and he will take a power of beating in the Waikato Steeplechase next start."

Ralph is expecting a forward showing from Hesalljaz in the opening hurdle race.

Central Districts trainer Harvey Wilson is not tipping his two runners It's A Wonder (R1) or Justa Charlie sin Race 4, but will be disappointed if they don't figure somewhere in the placings.

"They are both ready to go, but I'm not saying they are ready to win. It's A Wonder is a big strong horse and he will carry his weight well, even though there is not much spread in the handicap. He carries me everyday, so 68kg is not going to worry him.

"Justa Charlie has had only one steeplechase, which was a two mile go at Te Aroha last year and has two and a half miles this time, but I don't think that will worry him. He has two flat races and a point-to-point [race], so I expect him to run a big race."