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TABtouch has thrown a big dollop of intrigue into The Nullarbor mix with its wildcard selection of little known NZ bred gelding Betterzippit for the $1 million race on April 14 at Gloucester Park.

Betterzippit has had just five Australian starts for four wins and an unplaced run in the Miracle Mile lead-up race at Menangle on February 25.

He is likely to be the most inexperienced runner in the superstar field with nine wins and $118,000 from just 33 starts.

But all conquering NSW trainer Jason Grimson believes he will prove a worthy rival.
With his reigning Interdominion winner I Cast No Shadow out for a well earned spell and Messenger winner and NZ Cup runner-up Majestic Cruiser just returned to work, Grimson was more than happy to lock-in Betterzippit.

"I would not be bringing him if I didn't think he could win," Grimson said.

"I have only had him for five starts but I have had enough good horses to know what he is capable of.

"He has won four and was unlucky in the Schweppes Sprint.

"The way the race was run did not suit him. He got back in the field and ran home in 25.3sec and he never got clear.

"He is the perfect horse for Perth. We are looking forward to the race."

Grimson, 29, has taken harness racing by storm since returning to the sport seven years ago.

He has won seven Group 1 races in the past two seasons, including two Interdominion finals, the Messenger Stakes in NZ and the Blacks A Fake in Queensland.

He helped his father with pacers as a child but only took up the sport seriously as a 22-year-old.

"I was a concreter from the time I left school until I took a job in a stable at 22," he said.

"I am self-taught. I spend a lot of one-on-one time with the horses.

"They are all trained differently. It is a matter of finding out what works for each individual."

Grimson said Betterzippit would likely have one more start in NSW before he was flown to WA on a charter plane on April 3 with fellow The Nullarbor runner Spirit Of St Louis.

Champion young reinsman Cam Hart will drive the horse in The Nullarbor.

A Toubtouch spokesman said Grimson's amazing record in recent seasons was a big factor in choosing Betterzippit.

"We looked at a number of options, both locally and nationally, as potential candidates for our Nullarbor slot and Jason (Grimson) was always on our radar to have a discussion with," he said.

"His record in training feature race winners speaks for itself.

"Jason has a big opinion of Betterzippit and in the stable of stars he has, thought this horse was the ideal type for The Nullarbor.

"We have been closely following the horse's progress and have been impressed by his feats in Australia to date.

"We think he brings real X factor to the race and will be extremely competitive in what's shaping up to be a crack field."

The spokesman said a lot of work went into the selection.

"It was not a short process and there was a lot of debate along the way but we're extremely happy where things have landed," he said.

"Essentially, we wanted our selection to be both competitive and promotable and we think we've achieved those things.

"We obviously want to win, the same as all slot holders, but we're also focused on promoting The Nullarbor and the WA racing industry in general.

"We think partnering with Jason and Betterzippit will do just that and generate additional exposure on both sides of the country.