Ken Casellas | Photo: Hamilton Content Creators
Young trainer-reinsman Corey Peterson predicted a bright future for Nullarbor Navajo after driving the six-year-old mare to victory in the 2130m Xmas In July Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“She has a lot of ability and I like her a lot,” said Peterson. “She has a lot of bottom to her, but mentally she is still learning and needs to mature. She should be better after a break.”
Nullarbor Navajo, the $3.60 second fancy from barrier two on the back line, began a three-wide forward move approaching the bell before getting to the front 45m from the post and beating the fast-finishing $6.50 chance Sovrana by a neck, rating 1.56.7
“I was happy that I lobbed in a good position in the moving line,” said Peterson. “I didn’t want to get covered up, so I moved three wide coming in for the bell. She went super last week (when finishing strongly into fourth place behind Taking The Miki in the Group 3 WASBA Breeders Stakes) but tonight she didn’t feel as sharp as she normally does.
“I was worried at the top of the straight, and we only got home in 30.4sec.”
Nullarbor Navajo is owned by Albany trainer Cheyenne King-Davies and her father Ken, and her win on Friday night ended a losing sequence of eleven, stretching back to her win in the Denmark Cup at Albany in February 2022. She now has raced 36 times for nine wins, eleven placings and $76,181 in stakes.
She is by American sire Betterthancheddar and is out of the Courage Under Fire mare Teen Dreams, who won three country races from 34 starts in Victoria.
Nullarbor Navajo has inherited some of the ability of her maternal great granddam Larrakeyah Lady, a winner of eleven races, including the $60,000 Victoria Sires Stakes for four-year-old mares at Moonee Valley in November 1989 in which brilliant WA mare Mazzini Magic finished third as an odds-on fancy.
Larrakeyah Lady was a highly successful broodmare who produced nine winners of 183 races, including Safe And Sound, who earned $995,606 from his 33 wins and 30 placings from 84 starts, including the South Australian Cup at Globe Derby Park in January 2000 and the Hunter Cup at Moonee Valley in February when eh defeated Shakamaker by a short half-head.