Talented four-year-old Sebastian James is the youngest and least experienced runner in the second heat of the Nights Of Thunder over 1730m at Gloucester Park on Friday night --- and he looms as one of the star bets on the ten-event program.
Serpentine trainer-reinsman Dylan Egerton-Green has produced Sebastian James in splendid fettle for his two appearances after an eight and a half-month absence, and the horse is ideally drawn at barrier No. 1 in the field of eight runners.
Sebastian James resumed after a spell in a 2130m event at Gloucester Park on December 16 when he began from barrier five, raced without cover for the first 350m and then set the pace before finishing a half-length second to the fast-finishing Captains Creek, who rated 1.56.4 after final quarters of 28.2sec. and 28.7sec.
Then, at his next start in a 1684m sprint at Pinjarra three Mondays ago Sebastian James began from barrier three on the back line when he settled in seventh position before sustaining a fast three-wide mid-race burst to get to the breeze at the bell.
He then raced outside the pacemaker Yawoma in the final circuit before getting up in the final stride to beat that pacer by a head, rating 1.53.7 after final three 400m sections of 28.2sec., 27.2sec. and 28.8sec.
That gave Sebastian James a record of five wins and one placing from nine starts. As a two-year-old in July and August 2024 he won four races in a row at Gloucester Park, including the Western Crown and the group 2 Pearl Classic in which he defeated Belly Up by a nose. He led in all four of those wins, after starting from the No. 1 barrier three times and from barrier two once.
Up-and-coming star Hugotastic has the class to overcome the disadvantage of starting from the outside barrier in the field of nine in the first heat of the Nights Of Thunder.
The lightly-raced New Zealand-bred six-year-old, to be driven by Emily Suvaljko for trainer Michael Young, is sure to be improved by his first-up third behind My Watchlist and Better Eclipse over 2130m last Friday night when he worked hard to get to the breeze after a lap.
“His was an excellent effort after a long break, and he only tired in the final stages,” said Young.
Last-start winner Lincoln River (barrier four), Bettor Arcade (five) and Arma Believer (seven) appear Hugotastic’s main dangers.
Enigmatic performer Nathan Street is likely to dominate the betting when he starts from the No. 3 barrier for trainer Gary Hall snr and reinsman Gary Hall jnr in the third heat of the Nights Of Thunder. The three heat winners will qualify for the final the following Friday night, with the other six positions being filled by the horses with the fastest rates in the heats apart from the winners.
Nathan Street raced wide early in a 2130m event last Friday night when he moved to the breeze and then was shuffled back to fifth (one wide) at the bell before he sprinted home fast from seventh on the home turn to finish a 2m second to Franco Encore.
