Freakish talent tackles $175,000 Nutrien Final

Talented Victorian colt Petracca (Captaintreacherous) will be chasing his fifth win from six starts when he contests harness racing’s Group 1 Nutrien Equine Alabar Farms Two-Year-Old Colts and Geldings Final at Menangle on Saturday night (Aug. 27)

One of three runners for the powerful Emma Stewart stable, Petracca has lived up to the wraps that were placed on him before he started racing with his only defeat coming in the Bathurst Gold Crown when he ran third behind Tardelli.

As luck has it, the Stewart trio have all drawn perfectly with Petracca drawing gate four and his stablemates coming up with gates two and three.

Petracca has led in each of the four races he has won so it is likely that driver Nathan Jack will look to take control of the race from the outset.

In his qualifying heat, Jack was able to get away with a pedestrian 64.4 second first half but then had his opposition chasing from the 800 metre mark, running the third quarter in 28.7 before sizzling down the lane in 25.3 seconds with Petracca recording the equal fastest last quarter ever recorded in the southern hemisphere.

“He is a freakish talent,” said Jack.

“What he has done in his career to date has been nothing short of impressive, but he will have to be at his best once again.

“I will have to chase him hard off the arm to get across his stablemates. If I am able to find the pegs without over doing it and he can settle into his rhythm I do think he will be the one to beat.

“I have been fortunate to have driven this colt right from the start of his journey and I believe it is just the beginning of better things to come.”

Jack will also partner The Locomotive (Muscle Mass) in the Nutrien Equine Haras Des Trotters Two-Year-Old Trot Final later in the night for Avenel trainer Wayne Potter whom Jack regularly drives for.

The royally bred son of former top racemare La Coocaracha appears to be the one to beat in the final following his solid heat win.

“He is a lovely trotter that has what it takes to be a top liner,” said Jack.

“His heat win looked good on paper, but he felt a bit sluggish, and I feel we will see a sharper version of him.”

For complete race fields, click here.

by Michael Dumesny, for HRNSW