08 November 2021 | Duncan Dornauf for Tasracing
Ben Yole has re-written the record books once again, becoming the first trainer in either of the two equine codes in Tasmania to prepare 200 winners in a single season after the win of Sea Hawke in Launceston on Sunday night.
“It took all night to get there, but we didn’t have much in early but it was good to get there finally,” said a pleased Ben Yole post-race.
“It was our plan at the start of the year to get to the 200 as it hadn’t been done (in Tasmania),and we are pretty happy to get it done,” added the trainer.
Sea Hawke, who was driven by one of the Yole stable’s primary race day and track work drivers Troy McDonald, enjoyed a lovely run in the one-out one-back position before proving too strong for his rivals late by 6.8m.
“We have changed his training around and freshened him up, he won really well at Devonport recently and he seems to have taken another step, so fingers crossed he is going to continue to improve,” said Yole, who ended the night with a training double with the win of Ozzie Major in the final race.
The Yole stable is well represented at every Tasmanian harness race meeting, and while Yole receives all the accolades, he is always quick to acknowledge those behind the scenes at his Sidmouth base.
“It is a big team, from strappers, owners, drivers, foremen, farriers and others, it’s a big team effort, and it couldn’t be done without them,”
Yole also leads this season’s Australian trainers’ premiership by a slender margin over Queensland’s Grant Dixon.
“It is going to be hard to beat Grant Dixion, who has the option of five or six meetings a week, but we have a few country meetings coming up, so hopefully we can keep chipping away and hold on,” said Yole with this seasons harness racing season being the first to run from 1 January to 31 December.
As for Yole’s goal for the remainder of this season.
“We have got a couple of better horses in the stable this year, so hopefully we are competitive in the feature races and can pick up a country cup or two,” said the record-breaking trainer.
Sires’ Stakes heats
Meanwhile, the favourites came to the fore in the heats of the three-year-old leg of Tasmanian Sires’ Stakes Series.
The Emma Stewart-trained Longfellow justified his $1.12 quote when scoring in the opening heat of the Nutrein Ag Solutions Globe Derby.
Driver Natalee Emery was happy to race outside the leader in a slow lead time of 45.4s and a first quarter of 33.3s before putting the foot down in quarters of 27.8s, 27.8s and 38.6s to record an ever increasing 38.4m victory.
Paul Hill and Ricky Duggan teamed up with Rocknovertime ($1.90 fav) to win the second heat, leading all the way to score by 11.5m in 2m 0.4s.
In the 6ty° Bandbox heats, it was $1.30 fav Melnrowley scoring by a head after working forward to find the lead and proving too strong for driver Gareth Rattray, with the Craig Hayes- trained mare recording a mile rate of 2m 1.8s.
While Natalee Emery completed a driving double winning the second of the fillies heats with Barooga Rock, who led in 2m 4.3s.
The finals of both the Group 2 Globe Derby and Bandbox will be held on 21 November, with the meeting also featuring the $15,000 Golden Slipper, $12,000 Shirley Martin Mother Of Pearl for the mares, and the $12,000 Doug Martin Danbury Park Cup.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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