Champion reinsman Gary Hall jnr faces a tough decision when he chooses between Nathan Street and The Iron Duke as his drive in the $50,000 Christmas Gift next Friday week.
Both pacers overcame the disadvantage of beginning from a wide barrier when they sprinted home brilliantly to win qualifying heats of the Gift at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
The Iron Duke, a $6.20 chance trained by Justin Prentice, rated 1.57.5 when he began from the No. 7 barrier and raced in the one-out and one-back position before being switched three wide 250m from home and surging home to take the lead 30m from the post and winning by a neck from the $2.65 favourite, who set the pace and dashed over the final quarters in 28sec. and 27.8sec.
In the following qualifying heat Nathan Street, trained by Gary Hall snr, was a $4.20 chance who started from the outside barrier in the field of nine and raced in last place before being switched four wide approaching the 400m and was fifth 150m from the post. He then sprouted wings to get to the front in the final 25m and win by 2m from $4.80 chance Blaze Away, who trailed the pacemaker Blazing Reactor.
Nathan Street rated 1.55.6 over the 2130m journey in winning his first race in WA at his fourth appearance in the State.
“He didn’t have any luck at his first few starts in WA, and he tried hard to get him into the Nugget, a race in which he would have been a good player,” said Hall jnr. “But things didn’t work out, and he has finally got a win on the board.”
Four-year-old Nathan Street is by former champion pacer Lazarus and is the third foal out of Lettuce somewhere, who raced 46 times for five wins, 15 placings and $43,490.
Nathan Street showed early promise and gave a sample of his class when he won the group 1 New South Wales Breeders Challenge final for two-year-old colts and geldings at Menangle in October 2023 when he rated 1.50.5 over 1609m.
He has now had 25 starts for seven wins (two in Victoria, four in NSW and one in WA), four placings and $184,738 in stakes.
Five-year-old The Iron Duke impressed Hall, who said: “Based on the way he went, there should be more wins in store. He travelled well all the way. The first quarter (a slow 31.2sec.) was in favour of the leaders, but they stepped it up into the bell which brought us into it.”
The Iron Duke has now earned $104,848 from ten wins and 11 placings from 41 starts.
