30 April 2018 | Shane Yates
Ricky Duggan showed his driving prowess at the Launceston Pacing Club meeting, steering home a winning treble.
The Hall Of Fame reinsman’s winning spree commenced in race four when his successful partnership with trainer Paul Hill continued in the Longford Equine Clinic Pace over 2200 metres.
Feelin Dusty, solidly supported in the market from $2.50 into $2.30 brought up a winning hat-trick by holding off a strong challenge from Sea Double Ugrant over the closing stages to win by 1.3-metres, the victory the fourth this season for the Mr Feelgood-Maybe Elite three-year-old colt.
“Paul’s got him going good, I went early at the bell out three-wide without cover so he’s been able to sustain the effort for the last 1000-metres of the race which is a good sign, you can drive with a bit confidence when you know you’ve got one capable of doing it at both ends of the race,” said Ricky.
Duggan was back in the winners circle in the next the Carlton Draught Pace over 1680-metres with the Steven Davis-trained five-year-old P B Bullville-Liz It Iz gelding Out To Strike.
“I was sixth coming to the bell and Damian Spring had dropped anchor on the leader so I decided it was time to go and we moved up and sat outside the front-runners pretty smartly,” said Duggan.
Out To Strike eye-balled the leaders off the backstretch and ran to the lead at the 400-metre pole in search of its second win of the season and the fourth of its career.
“He was going so well I just let him go coming to the home turn and he just put them away with a good turn of speed, racing clear to win by a space.”
Ricky rounded out his successful night with another of the Paul Hill brigade, Streitkid, waltzing away with the Tasmanian Horse Transport Stakes.
“He can run the gate and from out wide we found the lead fairly comfortably from seven and then I just tried to hold him together before clicking him up down at the 400-metre mark and when I went for him halfway down the stretch he zipped away, he was pretty impressive.”
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