21 October 2020 | Duncan Dornauf for Tasracing
Westbury trainer Michael Laugher has been enjoying a good run in recent weeks, and that continued in Hobart on Tuesday night where he prepared a double on the eight-race card.
Six-year-old gelding Emjays Black Chip was the first of the winners for the Laugher stable when the pacer brought up his third win of the season.
Drawing outside of the front-row driver Rohan Hillier worked forward over the mile journey before being able to slot into a one-out two-back position before leading up the three-wide line over the final circuit to score by two-metres over Jackson Neptune and Black Ops in 2m 0.7s.
“He had been going well but hasn’t been having much luck,” said trainer Michael Laugher about the pacer.
Emjays Black Chip is raced by Michael’s wife Toni along with Matailta Rawlings, daughter of the late Sharyn Slater, with the pacer recording six wins and 11 placings in a 60-start career.
Laugher was also full of praise for the drive from Rohan Hillier.
“He is a good form analyst and summed up both races pretty good,” he said.
Hillier was also in the sulky for the last leg of Laugher’s double with Karalta Courage.
The three-year-old Roll With Joe gelding was third-up from a break and recorded an easy 7.4-metre win, rating 2m 2.5s for the 2090-metre journey, coming from a one-out and two-back position.
“He had been working good going into the race, he got wide in Launceston first up and it looked like he was going to run second but just died on his run. I then took him to Devonport, and he had no luck from the wide draw,” said Laugher said about the pacer who started $8 on the Tasracing Offical Price.
“We will just look for a similar class of race, he will get better when he gets older, as he is still immature,” explained the trainer.
Leading trainer Ben Yole was once again the standout performer with a training treble on the card winning with Hear the Call, Kiavino Stride and Gauci.
Taylor Ford extended her lead in the state’s female trainer and drivers title scoring with Big Bang Raj by a narrow margin and the pacer then had to survive a protest that was subsequently dismissed.
Charlie Castles was another junior driver to taste success on the card scoring aboard Resolute Ruler, Castles last year spent a number of months in New South Wales with trainer James Rattray and the driver has another trip earmarked in coming weeks.
Victoria Pass was an impressive winner of a rating 46 to 55 event for trainer-driver Zeke Slater.
Hobart is the venue for harness racing in Tasmania on Sunday night with the Group 2 Dandy Patch and Evicus Finals that are a part of the 10-race card.
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