23 November 2021 | Duncan Dornauf for Tasracing
Gotta Good Reason caused one of the season’s biggest upsets in Launceston on Sunday night when taking out the $12,000 Doug Martin Danbury Park Cup at odds of just over $101 on the local tote.
The seven-year-old gelded son of For A Reason, who had been winless in 14 starts this season, was stepping out for the first time since joining the Brighton stables of Mark Reggett.
Reinsman Conor Crook got the pacer away well to lead and kept finding late over the concluding stages.
“He was probably the pick of them off the front mark, but over 2698m it probably does bring the backmarkers into it. Mark (Reggett) was very confident with him when he jumped on the bunny,” said Conor post-race.
“He had to do a little bit when Dylan (Ford) came on Be Major Threat looking and then a bit when Ryley Major came round, so to find a kick at the top of the home straight, he has done a really good job,” added the winning reinsman.
Cool Water Paddy finished the race off well out wide for second while 30m backmarker Ryley Major held on for third.
The win of Gotta Good Reason ended a feature race double for Conor, who trained and drove Lavaugn to victory in the Launceston Pacing Club’s premier mares race, the Shirley Martin Mother Of Pearl.
The daughter of Well Said walked out of the mobile and settled midfield before moving around the field to race outside the leader in the middle stages of the 2200m event.
“She’s pretty versatile which works in her favour and when they weren’t going to quick upfront, I decided to go and park her up and she was too good in the end,” said the winning trainer-driver.
“There’s a couple of mares races at Melton over the next couple of weeks, so as long as she pulls up well from this, as I have a fair opinion of her, we may go over there and have a sniff,” said Conor about his future plans for the mare.
Also, on Sunday night, the Launceston Pacing Club staged its premier two-year-old race, the Mustad Australia Golden Slipper, with Hes Apples leading home a training quinella for Brighton based trainer Tammy Langley with Pawnbrokers Lad finishing second.
Hes Apples was handled by Tammy’s son, Dylan Ford, who settled the pacer outside the leader from a wide draw before kicking away late to score by 8.4m.
“He has always shown ability, people just underrate him I think. He has had issues getting through corners and things like that and has made up a lot of ground in those big races,” said Ford after the race.
Hes Apples is by Always B Miki, and is out of the Art Major mare Play Apple Tree, who the Ford family raced with good success.
“His mum was good and I have always said to my parents he has been good, he just hasn’t been tractable and as we saw there tonight, he looked flat throughout the corner and once he straightened, he knew what it was about and he has a bright future,” added Ford.
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