02 November 2020 | Duncan Dornauf for Tasracing
Victorian trainer John Nicholson has a handy record when he sends pacers to the Apple Isle, and he will be hoping that Micton Mouse can continue the trend in this week’s Group 2 Globe Derby Final, after an all the way win in his heat in Launceston on Sunday night.
Sent out the popular pick at $1.85, reinsman Dylan Ford took the gelded son of Stonebridge Regal straight to the early lead and was able to hold off the challenges of Kuzma and Kivik to score in 2m 0.7s for the 2200-metre trip.
“He switched off at the half-mile and just did what he had to do late, which surprised me a bit as he was travelling well before then, but he got the job done and that is the main thing,” said Dylan Ford after the win.
Micton Mouse has now won four of his 17-starts, with all four of those wins coming in four Tasmanian starts, including the Tasmanian Derby earlier this season and Ford believes if the pacer has some luck in Tuesday’s barrier draw for the Globe Derby Final that the gelding can add another feature race to his resume, and possibly secure the Tasmanian three-year-old colt and gelding title in next week’s final.
“His gate speed helps him, so hopefully he can draw close to the fence or in the same sort of position and if he were able to find the top, he would be hard to beat,” said the reinsman.
The first heat of the Globe Derby was won by the Todd Rattray-trained and driven pacer Kohanah who returned to the winner’s list for the first time since early February to register his seventh career win by 3.8 metres over Kosimo and Watchmylips.
Blame It On Me stamped herself as the one to beat in the $50,000 Group 2 Bandbox on Sunday night with a tough win in her heat.
The Big Jim filly worked through the field early from her second row draw and proved too strong for Better Amour by 3.2 metres, with Beautides full-sister Kabibi a further 6.3 metres away third in 2m 0.6s.
Heat One of the Bandbox was taken out by the Kate MacLeod trained-Machbev who was too quick for the early leader Spooky Girl in 2m 5.5s courtesy of a well-judged drive by Ricky Duggan.
The Finals of both Group 2 races will be held in Launceston this Sunday night along with the $12,000 Danbury Park Cup, $12,000 Shirley Martin, plus heats of the four-year-old sires’ stakes races, the Raider Stakes and Granny Smith on a program that should boost at least 10 races.
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