After missing an Alice Springs Cup start in April with Son Of Bielski, Darwin trainer Chris Nash is eyeing Saturday’s Katherine Cup with the eight-year-old gelding.
Nash, who had 14 wins in last season’s Top End and Country premiership and had four wins during the recent Darwin Cup Carnival, has never won an Alice Springs or Katherine Cup.
Nor the Darwin Cup, but Nash did win the 2021 Palmerston Sprint (1200m) with Mayameen.
Son Of Bielski lines up in what has been rated by many good NT judges as the strongest ever Katherine Cup (1700m).
An emergency for the Darwin Cup (2050m) on August 5, the gelding got a start and impressed when fifth behind Hadouken.
That prompted Nash to head to Katherine with the former NZ, Victorian and SA galloper.
Fifth in his Top End debut over 1100m (BM54) last September, the gelding won five straight from 1300-1600m from October-March as he stepped up in grade.
Victory in the St Patrick’s Day Cup (1600m) sealed his Alice Springs Cup (2000m) ticket, but Son Of Bielski missed a start with a foot abscess.
Success back at Fannie Bay in June over 1300m (BM76) was followed by two poor results during the Darwin Cup Carnival in July – 10th in the Chief Minister’s Cup (1600m) and seventh in the Buntine Handicap (2050m).
“He’s been up for a long time, he’s runs have been pretty well spaced,” Nash said.
“He’s not a terribly difficult horse to train, you just find your race and get him ready for it.
“There’s two runs where he went off the boil that left you scratching your head.
“I thought he might have been showing a few signs of training off, but he was very sound and well and healthy going into them.
“He went on to the Cup and I don’t think he could have raced any better – he actually ran out of his skin.”
Nash wasn’t sure how Son Of Bielski would handle Katherine’s sand track, he will also weigh up the gelding’s future following Saturday’s race.
“There’s a lack of options for horses wanting longer distances in Darwin after Katherine, so within the next month or six weeks he’ll probably head south for a spell,” he said.
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