THE Nullarbor jigsaw is really starting to come together.
After a terrific night of racing at Gloucester Park last night, it should be confirmed in the next 48 hours that Minstrel will run in the Team Bond slot.
While trainer Gary Hall Sr confirmed Jumpingjackjac make would run in the slot he shares with owner Steve Waters.
That will leave just two slots, those of JP Racing (Justin Prentice) and Swandoo Harness Racing.
Prentice, who already has Never Ending in the race through the Ladbrokes slot, has a big call to make with his fellow slot owners between Mighty Ronaldo and Tricky Miki.
It only made things harder when they finished alongside each other behind Minstrel in last night’s $50,000 Group 3 Governors Cup at Gloucester Park.
Maybe Mighty Ronaldo was a slightly better run, coming from behind Tricky Miki on the marker pegs to finish fourth, about half-a-metre in ahead of Tricky Miki in fifth spot.
Mighty Ronaldo is also a proven big race performer, having won the Fremantle Cup, WA Derby and Golden Slipper at Group 1 level.
“I’ll get together with everyone involved in the slot and make the call on Monday,” Prentice said.
The resurgent Minstrel made it six wins from his past seven starts when he did all the work and was too strong for a terrific field in the Governors Cup.
Most significantly, he sat outside and beat exciting stablemate Tenzing Bromac, who ran very well, but was simply beaten by a better horse on the night.
Minstrel is one of, and possibly the only horse of the major Nullarbor contenders who could sit parked and win Australia’s second richest race.
Lavra Joe, who has the RAM Racing Syndicate slot, followed his slashing Bunbury Cup run six days earlier with a close-up third last night. He’s right on target for trainer Ray Jones.
Swingband lost no admirers coming wide and from well back to finish just 5.1m from the winner in sixth spot.
Jumpingjackmac beat only one rival home in 11th spot, but got back to last when they ran home in a 56sec flat last half and was beaten less than nine metres.
Hall Sr wanted to wait and see how stablemates Diego and Skylou performed last night, but neither did anything like enough to overtake Jumpingjackmac as top seed on the strength of his Bunbury Cup last week.
Meanwhile, trainer Andy Gath has slightly delayed his road trip from Melbourne to Sydney with Catch A Wave because of Sydney’s big wet.
Catch A Wave fast worked this morning (Saturday) and will now head to Sydney tomorrow where he will accompany Hot And Treacherous and Spirit Of St Louis on a flight to Perth on Monday.
Hot And Treacherous will cap his Nullarbor preparation in a 1609m free-for-all at Menangle tonight.
