Ken Casellas | Photo: Hamilton Content Creators
Seven-year-old WA-bred pacer Nuclear Poker has overcome setbacks during his career and is racing in good style for Waroona trainer Nigel Johns.
He was an outsider at $32.40 when Hayden Charles, handling the gelding for the first time, drove him to an all-the-way win in the 2536m Vale Bill Horn Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Nuclear Poker has overcome problems with sore feet and hitting a knee, as well as a serious attack of colic and he was making his 104TH appearance in a race when he began from the prized No. 1 barrier and was able to beat out the polemarker Woodleigh Ragnar ($5.50) and the $4.20 favourite Disco Under Fire.
Rebel With A Grin ($20) moved to the breeze in the first lap, leaving Woodleigh Ragnar with a perfect sit behind the pacemaker, and leaving Disco Under Fire in sixth position in the one-wide line and following Spy Major, in the one-out, one-back position.
Woodleigh Ragnar got into the clear in the late stages and ran home strongly to finish second, a head behind Nuclear Poker, who rated 2.1.5. Crowded Reactor ($34), trained and driven by Johns, raced in fifth position, three back on the pegs before finishing solidly on the inside to be third.
Charles was the 20TH driver to have handled the New South Wales-bred Nuclear Poker, who was purchased for $25,000 at the 2016 Gloucester Standardbreds yearling sale. He is raced by Stephanie Smith and has now earned $65,290 from nine wins and nine placings.
His dam All in Baby had 103 starts for 12 wins, 24 placings and $164,507. Her most notable win was in the Empress Stakes at Gloucester Park in April 2012. Johns has been able to solve Nuclear Poker’s problem of hitting a knee, and experiments with shoeing and the use of special pads underneath the gelding’s shoes have proved beneficial.