28 February 2020 | Duncan Dornauf for Tasracing
The Tasmanian Summer Racing Carnival has finished for the thoroughbreds which means that the attention now turns to the Tasmanian Harness Racing Autumn Carnival which kicks off in Hobart on Sunday night with a heat of the Tasmania Cup, the Tasmanian Guineas and the Three-year-old Fillies Championship.
Last week we had two meetings in the state headlined by the 7BU Burnie Cup on Sunday.
The Stars
Goggo Gee Gee – ended a frustrating run of minor placings in feature races when he scored a dominant win in the 7BU Burnie Cup on Sunday. It was a career highlight for the gelding’s trainer Racheal Williams and his volunteer firefighter driver Ben Parker.
Brookwillrock – returned from a break with an easy win in the Somerset Hotel Thorate Incentive. Trained and driven at Stowport by Craig Hayes, the daughter of Pet Rock was forced to race outside the leader for the final 1500 metres of the race before Hayes went for home dashing away to win well.
Ben Yole – was the standout trainer on the Burnie card winning three of the eight races with Good Feelings, Tarleton Riley and My Celebrity. Yole now has 83 Tasmanian wins for the season with 196 placings to his credit.
Smart Little Shard – broke through for a deserved win in Friday night’s Elite Free For All in Hobart, the gelding was given a brilliant drive by Rohan Hillier to notch up his 13th career win and take his prize money earnings to pass the $100,000 mark for his visiting Victorian trainer John Nicholson.
Rodney Ashwood – recorded his 450th driving win on Bootleg Bert in the Alderbaran Park Trot last Friday, it was a bold front running drive by Ashwood on the gelded son of Bacardi Lindy in the 2090 metre standing start event.
Multiple Winners
Hobart – Friday evening
Troy McDonald- driving double; Capitallee and Our Quinn.
Burnie – Sunday afternoon
Ben Yole – training treble; Good Feelings, Tarleton Riley and My Celebrity,
Gareth Rattray – driving double; Bettabrown Tiger and My Celebrity.
Calculated Sectional Standouts
Quickest last halves (800m) from last week’s action.
Hobart – Friday evening
No Spring Secrets 57.81s, Mista Eagle 57.82s, Blacklist 57.83s, Smart Little Shard 57.87s and War Chest 57.91s.
Burnie – Sunday afternoon
Unavailable.
View all available Tasmanian Sectional Data by clicking here.
Tasracing Official Price
Hobart – Friday evening
Hit’s: Capitalee $2.80 into $2.50 and Alaphilippe $5.00 into $4.00.
Defied The Drift: Our Quinn $6.00 out to $6.50, Taurisi $3.50 out to $4.20, Smart Little Shard $2.50 out to $2.80, Jackson Neptune $8.00 out to $9.50 and Bootleg Bert $4.00 out to $5.00.
Missed: Southern Gnp $8.50 into $7.50 and Sunoflindenny $3.80 into $3.10.
Burnie – Sunday afternoon
Hit’s: Brookwillrock $2.10 into $1.85 and Drifting Away $7.00 into $4.60.
Defied The Drift: Bettabrown Tiger $1.65 out to $1.75, Good Feelings $15.00 out to $21.00, Tarleton Riley $3.20 out to $3.90 and My Celebrity $6.00 out to $9.50.
Missed: Raffaelo $2.50 into $2.25, Artiflash $6.00 into $4.00, Someday $7.50 into $5.00, Amendment Thirteen $4.20 into $3.60 and Flight Officer $26.00 into $15.00.
Trial File
Devonport – Monday evening
Three trials were staged on Monday night where the Lindsay Tatnell-trained and driven Cinocal Jamane proved too strong in a trial for mares with a national rating no higher than 51.
The four-year-old daughter of Auckland Reactor led in the 2297 metre trial to defeat Sea Sky by four metres with La Toison Dor a further 10 metres away third in a mile rate of 2m 4.5s.
Maybe Jack scored in the opening trial in 2m 7.2s, the same mile rate that was recorded by Bold Centurian in a two and three-year-old trial.
Week Ahead
Tonight, the Devonport Harness Racing Club will stage a seven-event card that commences at 16:41.
The meeting overlaps with an eight-race greyhound program that commences at 15:06, the richest prize-money race on the two cards is the $8,100 Ladbrokes Mobile, which has also attracted the lowest field of the day with four runners, where Agouda Ruler looks the horse to beat.
Sunday night in Hobart we see the first heat of the Ladbrokes Tasmania Cup.
Star Tassie pacer Ryley Major will be chasing his 12th win in a row when he starts from a 30-metre handicap in the 2579 metre event.
The Rohan Hillier-trained and driven pacer shares the 30-metre back mark with former winner Star Chamber and last start Devonport Cup winner Illegal Immigrant.
Last start Hobart winner Smart Little Shard is one of two Victorian trained runners in the race, the other being last start Melton winner Im Sir Blake who won at his most recent start on 17 February at Melton in 1m 54.3s for 1720 metres.
The Tasmanian Guineas and Three-year-old Fillies Championship are both important lead-up races to the Tasmanian Derby and Tasmanian Oaks which will both be held on Saturday night 14 March.
Interstate this week the Tasmanian representatives are headlined by Ignatius who will be out trying to qualify for next weeks $1,000,000 Miracle Mile when he contests Saturday nights Group 1 Allied Express Sprint at Group 1 level at Menangle.
The barrier draw hasn’t been kind to the James Rattray trained and driven pacer who has drawn outside the front row in the race.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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