Pull down blinds can spark Franco Nandor into showing his Christmas best at Cambridge

Trainer Ray Green is hoping the addition of sliding blinds will wake up Franco Nandor when he races at Cambridge on Christmas Eve.

Franco Nandor, an all-the-way first day winner at Manawatu, delivered nothing in the home straight on the second night there despite ranging into it on the home turn.

So when he lines up in gate three on Thursday driver Zachary Butcher will have pull down blinds to use when he wants the horse to do his best.

“We trialled him with the blinds on Saturday and he went much better,” Green said. “Hopefully he’ll race as well on Thursday.”

Franco Nandor certainly showed some grunt in his workout heat at Pukekohe when driver David Butcher activated the blinds 450 metres from home.

Fifty metres later he was attacking leader Riveered hard and actually headed the much better performer All Stars’ runner early in the home straight.

While Franco Nandor was eventually overtaken by all three All Stars’ runners, Pace N Pride, Riveered and First Class, he was only two necks and half a length behind at the line, where he’d had enough and eased up quickly, not surprising given the speed of the final sectionals - 800 in 56 and 400 in 26.9. (NB: The workout video is misleading as Franco Nandor and Brian Christopher wore the wrong saddlecloth numbers by mistake)

Any of those Purdon/Rasmussen three-year-olds would be red hot favourites had they been entered at Cambridge and Franco Nandor’s biggest rivals on Thursday, Ideal Agent and The Banker, are not in the same class.

Franco Nandor also showed good gate speed at the workouts, suggesting Zachary Butcher could land the front if he crosses recent amateur race winner Frankie Jones.

Green has no similar magic bullet for Brian Christopher who lines up in the final race.

The horses he faces are a step up from the field he beat on the second night at Manawatu and Green says his best chance is to stay handy from his good two gate.

“He doesn’t have much speed, he’s a bit dour, but he’s a trier.”

David Butcher swishes Themightyserina around to attack 400 metres from home in her workout.Themightyserina opens the batting for Lincoln Farms in the first race and would only need to keep her gait to be a threat.

But the little filly hasn’t managed to do that in two career starts and Green says it might just be a case of “waiting for her to get her head round it.”

Themightyserina skipped on the first corner on debut at Cambridge and made a good recovery for third, but she not only repeated the mistake at Auckland last week but also lost it 400 metres from home.

“Her gait is OK. But she seems to get to the first corner, the occasion gets to her, and she panics. A lot of the American Ideals I’ve had, like Copy That and Tommy Lincoln, used to so the same thing, they just change their stride.

“It’s difficult to tip her knowing she is going through that same patch but she did train very well this morning.”

Themightyserina had a blowout at the workouts last Saturday, finishing third, but showed a nice turn of foot when swished round three wide at the 500 metres to park outside the leader.

She was not asked for her best by David Butcher in the run to the judge, on a closing 400 of 27.2.

She starts from five on the gate on Thursday in a field devoid of form with the two debutants Rocknroll Roulette and Angel Baby drawn on the second line.