First slot filled for The Nullarbor

THE biggest race to grace Western Australia’s shores is set to get even bigger with TABtouch announcing their slot contender for the 2025 Nullarbor.

Star New South Wales pacer Swayzee is set to head to the west in hopes of adding another Group One to his impressive resume.

The Jason Grimson-trained sensation recently took out the Tamworth City Cup in his pursuit of the $1million NSW Carnival of Cups bonus, while last November he dominated the New Zealand Cup to become just the 18th horse in its 121-year history to win the feature twice.

Remarkably, since joining Grimson’s stable in mid-2023, the seven-year-old gelding has won 18 of his 24 starts including four Group Ones.

“This is very exciting news for WA and the 2025 TABtouch Nullarbor, with Swayzee injecting a level of star power, it really will be a spectacle,” Racing WA’s Head of Harness Racing and Special Projects, Cameron Brown said.

“I think this could be our best race yet and I think we will see more slot holders announce their horses in the coming weeks, which will only add to the excitement.”

Swayzee is the first of 31 contenders locked in for the tri-code TABtouch Western Trilogy series and the countdown is on for April 25 where Gloucester Park will set the scene.

Heading into the third year of The Nullarbor, Grimson will be looking to secure his second success in the $1.25million slot race after taking out the feature in 2023 with Betterzippit.

Last year’s Nullarbor was taken out by eastern raider Catch A Wave for Andy and Kate Gath for slot holder Regency Foods.

Speculations are high with nine slot holders still to announce their runners, but it is likely Team Bond will stick with the local WA star and Inter Dominion runner-up Minstrel.

Racing WA’s Tim Walker spoke with eastern state trainer Luke McCarthy in late 2024 after Don Hugo took out the Inter Dominion at Club Menangle, with the stable also keen to head west to tackle the TABtouch The Nullarbor.

• RWWA Media