Veteran zeroing in on seven figure mark

Nashville’s Riccarton double during Grand National carnival week has taken the durable galloper ever closer to a memorable milestone in his career.

The Hunterville nine-year-old is bordering on millionaire status after he added Saturday’s Millennium Hotels & Resorts Premier Open to his record following success seven days previously in the Gr.3 Winter Cup.

Nashville has now banked more than $965,000 from his 14 wins, five of them having come on the Christchurch track.

“He’s got nothing left to prove, he’s a great horse,” said jockey Kate Cowan.

She is apprenticed to Nashville’s trainers Adrian and Harry Bull and she further repaid their confidence with another well-judged ride aboard the son of Darci Brahma.

They sat out the back of the field on the fence before shouldering into the clear at the top of the straight and the horse finished determinedly,

“I’d been riding him during the week and he’s been feeling a box of birds,” Cowan said.

“He felt like he was travelling sweetly, but he did feel the ground the last 50 metres. He held on well, he’s so tough.”

Luke was alongside Nashville on straightening and despite being in receipt of five and a half kilos he couldn’t foot it with the northerner in the closing 350 metres. Taurus gave yet another genuine account of himself in finishing third.