
Nathan Jack gets Just Hope home for an upset win in the NSW Oaks earlier in the year.
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.
More news in Harness
Leo takes the lion’s share to cap terrific Manawatu season - and Ray gets a piece too
Nate looking for more Fergy magic to cap successful two months at Manawatu
Cloud over Angelic Copy again - bug threatens to force her out on Friday night at Auckland
Phone home - ET trotter Whats Up The Hill blasts off with narrow Escape at Auckland
Our runners this week
Friday night at Auckland
What’s Up The Hill.
Our runners this week: How our trainers rate them

Nathan’s comments
Tuesday twilight at Manawatu
Race 3: Onyx Shard
5.09pm
“She’s working really well and, from the good draw, hopefully she can run a drum. The field’s not that much harder than the one she beat last time at Manawatu (when parked for the last lap).”
Race 3: Kevin Kline
5.09pm
“We’re very happy with him - he’s come back a better horse. He went well at Auckland last start and is working well. We’ll be looking to go forward from the gate and hopefully get a gun run through behind Onyx Shard. On ability, he’s the better chance of the two.”
Race 4: Leo Lincoln
5.39pm
“He stepped like a bullet in his first go from a stand here in March. I thought he’d do the same on the second day but he galloped. We’ve got an overcheck on and hopple shorteners on Tuesday so he should make a good beginning. If he can step and lead, then maybe take a trail, he should be hard to beat. He likes it down there where the track is quite soft.”

Nathan’s comments
Thursday night at Manawatu
Race 3: Onyx Shard
6.04pm
“I thought I had Kevin Kline covered on Tuesday when we got to the straight because she was really travelling but he kicked away on us. It would be nice if she can get out of the gate as well again - she has good gate speed - and, if she does, she can get some of it again.”
Race 3: Kevin Kline
6.04pm
“He was too good for them on Tuesday, thanks to a great Fergy drive, and he’s in the same field again this time. The extra distance and wide draw shouldn’t make much of a difference and he’s our best of the night.”
Race 5: Leo Lincoln
7.02pm
“He’ll be hard to beat again if he steps like he did on Tuesday. The 10 metre handicap shouldn’t stop him. I think he’s even better if he follows something and the extra 500 metres isn’t a worry.”