Nitro to go up another gear

14 June 2019 | AMANDA RANDO
Logo
Talented youngster Jilliby Nitro is odds on to win an Alabar Breeders Challenge Semi-Final at Menangle tomorrow night.

Talented youngster Jilliby Nitro is odds on to win an Alabar Breeders Challenge Semi-Final at Menangle tomorrow night. Photo by ABP

COULD a shoeing alteration improve Jilliby Nitro again?

The classy black colt is the shortest-priced favourite at Menangle this Saturday night at $1.05 with TAB Fixed Odds for his Alabar Breeders Challenge Semi-Final (1609m).

He has already collected two Group 1 victories and a personal best winning mile rate of 1:52.6, how much more improvement can there be?

After winning his Breeders Challenge heat at Menangle last Tuesday week, trainer Margret Lee investigated the fluency of his gait and made some changes.

“He went around really well in his heat at Menangle but he went rough at a couple of stages so we made a few changes to his shoeing so hopefully this time he will pace a bit better,” said Lee.

“He’s had this in all his races and talking to his breeder, he seems to think that when he is a three-year-old he won’t have this issue with his gait . . . it’s a bit of a maturity thing.”

Despite this niggling issue, Jilliby Nitro won his qualifier by more than 12m.

It was his fifth win in six starts.

The son of Bettors Delight has stayed at the Menangle Park Training Centre since the victory.

“He’s really good, he settles in wherever he goes and has eaten up well,” said Lee.

“He fast worked on Wednesday and we’re really happy with him.”

Drawn barrier two Saturday night there is only one plan for driver Glen Craven.

“He’ll be going forward from that alley, he has the early speed to make the most of it,” said Lee.

It will be a busy night for the Victorian stable with three starters in consecutive races.

In race six Lee has Keayang Jackie in the Breeders Challenge Two-Year-Old Fillies Semi-Final drawn 10.

“It certainly makes it a lot harder when you’re drawn wider,” said Lee.

“I was super happy with her in her heat, I had a little bit of trouble with her tying up so I was really happy with how she did it.

“Whether she goes forward or not I’m not sure but she has done well in all her races and ran a quick last quarter last start which was very pleasing.”

Keayang Jackie finished second in her heat to Didn’t I when they clocked the last quarter in 26.3 seconds.

Lee’s final starter for the night is Jilliby Bandit in the Group 3 Golden Mile.

“He’s been a travelling buddy for Nitro and it’s really worked out well so far, he won at Bathurst and he won in Brisbane and he has certainly helped Nitro settle in,” said Lee.

“He’s been a bonus and improved the last six weeks after changing his feed.”

 

Harness Racing NSW (HRNSW) is the controlling body for harness racing in New South Wales with responsibility for commercial and regulatory management of the industry including 33 racing clubs across the State.  HRNSW is headed by a Board of Directors and is independent of Government.

HRNSW MEDIA CONTACT:

AMANDA RANDO | MEDIA & COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER

(02) 9722 6600 •  arando@hrnsw.com.au •  @Amanda_Rando

 

Related News

29 March 2024
Gibson family honoured in more ways than one at Bathurst Carnival
SINCE the inception of the Bathurst Gold Crown in 1987, the Gibson family and their Success Stud have positively contributed to shaping the hugely-successful juvenile carnival. Originally based in Queensland before relocating to the idyllic Young region, the late John Gibson initially operated Success...
29 March 2024
Group 1 mares add star power to Riverina Championships
Four Group 1 winning mares - including two currently considered to be among the nation’s best - will clash in an intriguing battle at the Riverina Championships finals program at Wagga on Sunday. The meeting features two $100,000 finals for four and five year-old pacers - one each for the boys...
29 March 2024
Ford looking for Gold on Good Friday
The combined harness and greyhound meeting on Good Friday night in Hobart is fast becoming a Tassie racing tradition, and it’s back again with eight greyhound races and six harness events making up this year’s 14-race program. Driver Dylan Ford will be out to continue his excellent start...
28 March 2024
New HRV chair Adam Kilgour on challenges, opportunities
Newly appointed Harness Racing Victoria chair Adam Kilgour says his passion for a challenge and the people in racing drives his desire to strengthen the industry. Kilgour was yesterday announced to replace Dale Monteith as the head of the board, on which he has served since 2018, and said he was eager...
28 March 2024
La sun of a gun emerges as Blackbook zeros in on breeding line
La Machane won 20 of her 61 starts and more than $330,000 for connections in Ross and Greg Sugars' care and the mare's making just as big an impression in the breeding barn. Having given us La Puddie ($137,179) and La Captain ($182,020), the Bettors Delight mare has another nice type in Benbullan, who...
Click for more