Nate bid for Queen’s Cup could be a slam dunk
(Musselburgh, nap, 3.35) may have some way to go before matching the illustrious achievements of basketball Hall of Famer nate Thurmond, but victory in this afternoon’s Betway Queen’s cup would be a start. carrying the nickname of one of the nBA’s greatest players was always going to be tough to pull off for the son of nathaniel, but the early signs were promising when he was narrowly beaten in the 2018 chesham Stakes at Royal Ascot following a tidy debut win at carlisle. There have been flashes of excellence since, but a 17-race career has yielded just three victories, which perhaps represents underachievement for a horse which promised plenty as a juvenile. The most recent of those wins was at least recorded at Wolverhampton last time in the hands of promising apprentice William carver, who displayed his tactical acumen to steal a march on his eight rivals and register a hard-fought success. That win was the first for trainer Andrew Balding, successful in the valuable staying event at lingfield yesterday and the Kingsclere handler has been entrusted with returning the gelding to former glories following a switch from Archie Watson last summer, six starts ago. The link-up with carver could be the catalyst for nate The Great’s renaissance because his two starts aboard the selection have yielded a narrow defeat by the talented Australis and February’s hard-fought success at dunstall Park. Hopefully, the combination can make the most of a handy low draw today and be proactive from the stalls because the selection has already proved his effectiveness around Musselburgh’s tight turns, having won a novice event there in September 2018. of the selection’s rivals, Alright Sunshine could emerge as a live danger given his track record. Unbeaten in both starts at this afternoon’s venue, the six-year-old is beginning to be shown some leniency by the handicapper and he could be nicely positioned for a horse which likes to pounce late. He won’t lack for any fitness either, having been kept busy over hurdles of late.