10 January 2022 | Duncan Dornauf for Tasracing
Willie Go West justified his short quote when recording one of the most effortless Ladbrokes Hobart Pacing Cup wins in the history of the race.
Sent out as the $1.25 favourite, master Victorian reinsman Chris Alford casually worked his way forward to take the lead near the 2000m point of the 2579m mobile start event.
Alford didn’t have to flinch a muscle with the pacer racing away from his rivals over the final 700m to win eased down by 20.4m over Cool Water Paddy ($19), and Ryley Major started the second elect at $8.00 a further 16.1m away third.
The mile rate was 1m 57.5s, which took 0.1s off the track record previously held by Blacks A Fake and Flashing Red during the Inter Dominion series in 2006.
“He did look to have a little bit on them, but I was a bit concerned with the false start,” said Braun post-race.
Willie Go West was first-up since finishing down the track in the Four and Five Year Old Championship at Melton in late October.
“We had him ready to go for the Breeders Crown Free For All, but he got a bit of colic on the Wednesday, which was disappointing as he had the barrier draw, but it is what is what it is, so we gave him a couple of weeks off after that, and we trialled him on Tuesday with Cruz Bromac so we knew he was pretty much on track,” explained the winning trainer.
Braun had plenty of options in Victoria but elected to miss Saturday nights Bendigo Cup and Sunday’s Cobram Cup.
“We thought about going to Bendigo last night, but it was a random barrier draw, so we could have drawn the back row, and some of the better ones could have drawn in front of us, and we had a look at the nominations for the Cobram Cup as well, but we were going to draw wide,so we thought this may be the best option and luckily it has turned out well,” Braun said.
Willie Go West will return to Braun’s Victorian base by boat on Monday evening, with Braun indicating the pacer was likely to go fresh into the $500,000 A. G. Hunter Cup at Melton on 5 February.
Braun also said he may have a runner in Saturday night’s Group 3 Devonport Cup but will make his mind up in the next 24-48 hours.
The win was the second in the race for the Braun and Alford combo, with their other winner coming back in 2007 with Zonda.
Junior driver Tiarna Ford drove her biggest win in her career when Belle Of Brooklyn scored in the Art Meeker Memorial Matron Stakes, while Liam Older drove Kuzma to victory in the E. C. Plunkett Memorial, in what was the first leg of a driving treble for the junior driver, who scored later in the night with Lorimermajor and Gordievsky Leis.
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