by Jonny Turner
Junior driver Tom Nally has seized his opportunity with King Of The North and formed a winning partnership with the trotter.
Nally and the Kirk Larsen trained squaregaiter made it a double from just two starts together when they powered to victory in race 4 at Invercargill yesterday.
Nally took the reins behind the five-year-old in a junior driver’s event at Wyndham last week and bagged Larsen, who also races the horse, a penalty free win.
Larsen kept faith in the junior driver and he was rewarded again at Ascot Park yesterday.
With the owner-trainer a noted seller of horses, Nally assumed he may not get a crack at completing a winning hat-trick with King Of The North.
But it sounds like he will.
“I said to Kirk after the race that he will be able to sell him now and he said why would I sell your drive?” Nally said.
After settling in midfield, Nally came off the markers and sat parked at the bell with King Of The North in yesterday’s 2200m event.
The reinsman was then happy to bide his time before letting the trotter hit top gear, but King Of The North had other ideas.
“I thought I would just sit parked here and launch him around the bend.”
“But no, he just wanted to go, he was feeling super and I just let him run.”
“He felt really good to the line.”
After recently starting working at the Larsen stable, Nally gets the added benefit of keeping the boss happy with his winning double.
“I have just started working at Kirk’s in the afternoons, feeding up and working with a couple of young ones.”
“I am enjoying it and it is good to learn more.”
Nally continues to also work for the Hamish Hunter stable.
Beach Ball and Aint No Angel clinched spots in the three-year-old features at next week’s Diamond’s Day meeting at Ascot Park with wins yesterday.
Beach Ball led yesterday’s Southern Supremacy heat, cruising along before zipping home to book his ticket into the Group 2 series final with a comfortable victory.
Aint No Angel was also in front and she dug deep in the home straight to win the final heat of the Southland Oaks series to seal her spot in next week’s final.
