23 August 2021 | Duncan Dornauf for Tasracing
The Ben Woodsford-trained Vonns Angel won the King Fillies and Mares’ inaugural running in Launceston on Sunday night.
The new race is restricted to three-year-old and older Tasmanian bred fillies and mares that have won no more than four races.
Vonns Angel’s driver Dylan Ford settled the four-year-old mare one-out and three-back in the 2200-metre event before working into clear racing room at the top of the home straight to go on and score by 8.1 metres over Better Amour and Stepping Stones.
“We used her out of the gate last start in Hobart in a winnable race and was disappointing, so tonight I drove her cold and for a bit of luck, and she showed a good turn of foot late,” said driver Dylan Ford after the race.
Vonns Angel was a notable drifter from $11 out to the $20 quote despite dropping in grade.
“She has won a couple of features, and to drop back to a race that had some maidens in it,” said Ford.
Like many in the race, Vonns Angel will head to the Group 2 Granny Smith, with heats to be held in Devonport on 12 September before the $50,000 Final on 26 September.
“She will get around the track, and with a nice draw she will be competitive,” explained the winning driver.
James Dean was once an emergency for the New Zealand Trotting Cup, a lot has happened since then for the gelded son of Santanna Blue Chip, who has had stints in New South Wales and Queensland before joining the Ben Yole stable, where the pacer made a fast impression scoring in the New Norfolk Cup, closely followed by the Carrick Cup in mid-February.
The pacer had been out of the winners stall since his latest country cup win, but he was able to enjoy a lovely run to score in the Launceston Veterinary Group Pace over 2200 metres, where he was well supported on the Tasracing Offical Price, backed in from $31 into $21.
Stepping cleanly away from the tapes, the Conor Crook-driven pacer settled behind the leader from the 1800-metre point before working one off the peg line around the home turn to run down the leader Earl Jujon in the home straight, in a mile rate of 2m 1.6s.
“Back to the front, in a 2200-metre stand with Conor Crook on, you can’t get much better than that,” said trainer Ben Yole post-race.
“I had been very disappointed with him lately, so we have stepped up his work at home,” added the trainer.
Ben Yole prepared the trifecta in the race with Earl Jujon and Perfect Mach filling the placings.
The two favourites, and handicapped runners, The Shallows and Illegal Immigrant finished fourth and fifth respectively.
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