Nathan’s not just hailing a cab - he’s catching a flight to make sure he can drive Simply Sam

Trainer Ray Green is hoping Simply Sam flies at Ballarat on Friday night because that’s exactly what his driver will have to do just to make the start line.

Top driver Nathan Jack has six drives at Wagga, 540km away, earlier in the day and handles his last one at the Riverina Raceway at 5.52pm NZ time.

With a driving time of five and a half hours between the two tracks, and Simply Sam’s race carded for 11pm NZ time, Jack would have no chance of arriving in time.

But Green was comforted to hear this afternoon that Jack will be flying back to Melbourne after his last drive before catching a car ride for the 117km trip to Ballarat, an hour and a half away.

Simply Sam is the only engagement at Ballarat for Jack, who has been contracted to drive all Lincoln Farms’ team during the Victorian campaign, Copy That in particular.

“These boys are keen, all right,” said Green of the effort Jack is making on Friday. “But I’m expecting it to be worth it for him.

“I think he’ll go very well. I can’t imagine him going badly.”

Simply Sam, winner of five of his last seven starts, has only five three-year-olds opposing him in the A$15,000 Holloway Classic. And, on paper, there’s only one danger, Captain Ravishing, who is a rating 56 horse, all of 20 points inferior to Simply Sam but highly spruked by his connections.

Captain Vanishing (Anthony Butt) hit the headlines in his first two starts.The Captaintreacherous colt made headlines winning his first two starts at Melton last December and January and breaking the three-year-old track record for 1720 metres with a mile rate of 1:52.5.

While only fourth in the Caduceus Classic, second in a NSW Derby heat and last in the final, he still impressed top reinsman Anthony Butt with his beautiful gait.

Captain Ravishing has since moved from Ahmed Taiba’s stable to the top barn of Emma Stewart where he is reported to be working the house down in preparation for his first start in six months.

“I hear he’s pretty good but we can’t be worried about any of the others,” Green said. “We’ve got the class horse in the field and while he hasn’t raced for nearly two months he trialled nicely behind Copy That back home.”

Allowed only to run home from the back that day, Simply Sam gave driver Zachary Bucher a good feel and was just a neck, half a head and two and a half lengths behind Copy That, Taipo and Major Perry, a smart first-up winner last week.

Simply Sam last raced on July 15 when he exploded round the field six wide turning for home at Auckland and powered home to beat Zarias and Riverman Sam in the Winter Cup (2700m).

His record reads five wins and three placings from 11 starts for John and Lynne Street and their partners Kim Miller, Robert and Donna Best, Priscilla Edmunds, the Red and Blue Syndicate and the Green Machine Racing Syndicate.

He is being aimed at the A$200,000 Victoria Derby on October 8.

Simply Sam races at 11pm NZ time at Ballarat on Friday night.