3 minute read
A planned jump out next Tuesday will have an important bearing on Peter Nestor’s aspirations for Dane De Lago in the $100,000 WRA Country Championships Qualifier (1400m) at Dubbo on March 22.
Nestor is keen to get the twice winning Danzero four-year-old into the Series after his major hope Cool Ice went amiss and had to be spelled.
The WRA Championship Qualifier takes in horses trained in the Western Districts and Dubbo.
“He’s been walking out of the gates,” Nestor rued. “I’ll give him a jump out at home (Dubbo) on Tuesday and see if that can sharpen him up a bit.
“He’s a horse that gets back anyhow, that’s his racing pattern, but he’s been getting back to far then rattling home.
“I’m hoping the 1400 metres on his home track with a big long straight will suit him and he can get home over the top of them.”
Nestor puts the gelding’s aversion to jumping down to a cracked pelvis after starting at Mudgee in December, 2013.
Dane De Lago was sidelined for 43 weeks recovering from the injury.
“He had to have a long spell and I think missing the start – he did the injury jumping from the barriers – is all in his head,” Nestor said. “Hopefully we can turn that around.
“I’ve taken the blinkers off him and fitted winkers.
“He’s a nice big horse, good to do anything with. We’ve just got to get his head right.”
Nestor paid $27,000 for Dane De Lago as a yearling at Scone. He is raced by Nestor’s wife Nancy and the Whittaker family from Yeoval, near Dubbo. It is the Whittaker’s first horse.
The gelding resumed after a six week break this campaign winning his maiden over 1300m at Dubbo on December 8 last year then scored a solid win in a Class 3 event at Orange (1280m) on December 28 then wasn’t far away at Muswellbrook and Mudgee when he again gave away too much start.
Last time out following a 28-day freshen up, Dane De Lago rattled home from last on the bend to finish 1.6 lengths fifth in the Tulloch Cup (1200m) at Bathurst on March 1.
Nestor believes stepping up to 1400m on his home track should be ideal.
“Hopefully he can get a run in the Qualifier. It’s very good prizemoney,” Nestor added. “The owners are very excited. The horse can gallop. He’s got to be half a hope if he gets a run.”
