13 January 2023 | Duncan Dornauf for Tasracing
It was a great weekend of harness racing last week, with a return to Scottsdale last Friday and the running of the North Eastern Pacing Cup, where the voluntary committee were rewarded for their efforts with a large on-track attendance.
Sunday saw the running of the Listed Hobart Cup on a brilliant Hobart evening.
This week the feature meeting will be on Saturday night, with the Devonport Cup headlining the 10-race card in Launceston.
The race is being held away from the Devonport Showgrounds for the first time after that venue’s closure of a racing venue last March.
There is also a non-TAB meeting at King Island, plus an eight-race card in Hobart on Sunday night.
The Stars
Hes Ideal – the Emma Stewart-trained gelded son of American Ideal was only having his 14th career start in the Listed Hobart Pacing Cup on Sunday. Driver Mark Pitt took the pacer straight to the lead from his front-row draw in the 2579m event to score by 20.8m over local stars The Shallows and Ryley Major.
Emma Start and Mark Pitt – outside of the Hobart Pacing Cup, they had a good night at the office with another four winners, including the Matron Stakes with Major Grace and the E C Plunkett Memorial with Wheres The Gold.
Montana Storm – added another North Eastern Pacing Cup to the resumes of driver Rohan Hadley and trainer Rohan Hillier when taking out Scottsdale’s premier race. The gelding was last at the bell before running away from his rivals late for a dominant win. The mile rating for the 2692m was a new track record.
Maree Blake – is the hardest working member of the Paul Williams stable, and she leaves the race day driving up to Paul, but she delivered a brilliant drive aboard Debt Till We Part to score on Sunday night. She has now had five drives on the 8yo gelding for a win and two placings.
Feats of the meet
Scottsdale, 6 January
Ben Yole – five training wins,
Nathan Ford – driving treble, including his 400th career win,
Mitch Ford – driving double.
Hobart, 8 January
Emma Stewart – five training wins,
Mark Pitt – five driving wins.
Calculated Sectional Standouts
Hobart, 8 January
Lynryd Skynyrd 56.57s, Wheres The Gold 57.01s, Where Ya Bin 57.42s, Idealrockidealroll 57.50s and Cheddar Valley 57.60s.
Tasracing Official Price
Scottsdale, 6 January
Hits: Karlata Dazzler $2.60 into $2.15, Nick A Grin $6.00 into $4.20, Major Davin $6.00 into $4.80, No Nukes Skipper $17 into $8.00 and Montana Storm $5.00 into $3.60.
Defied The Drift: Smooth Deal $4.00 out to $6.00 and Southshore $4.20 to $4.80.
Missed: Prosecution Witness $18 into $9.50, Oneofthelads $5.00 into $4.20, Colby Sanz $5.00 into $3.70 and Van Niekerk $8.50 into $5.50.
Hobart, 8 January
Hits: Queen Treacherie $1.14 into $1.10, Wheres The Gold $1.24 into $1.10,
Defied The Drift: Agouda Ruler $7.50 out to $8.50, Major Grace $1.80 out to $2.20, Debt Till We Part $5.50 out to $6.00 and Mista Eagle $7.00 out to $10.
Missed: Stepping Stones $8.00 into $4.80, Jackson Neptune $5.50 into $3.80, Captain Cosmonaut $6.00 into $4.20 and Jimi Sanz $5.50 into $3.90.
Week Ahead
Saturday: The Listed Hardings Hotmix Devonport Pacing Cup, along with the Mares Incentive, Coastal Pacing Thousand and the Dash For Cash, will be held in Launceston, with a 10-race card commencing at 18:08.
There is a dual-code meeting on King Island during the afternoon, where the feature race is the King Island Dairies Flying Mile.
There will be plenty of Tasmanian interest on the mainland as well, with Tasmanian-owned Max Delight and Tasmanian-owned and bred Kosimo lining up in the $75,000 Group 2 Shepparton Gold Cup.
While Izaha lines up at Menangle, where he has drawn barrier ten in the opening race, it will be the third time in four starts he has lined up from the outside draw.
Sunday: The tier two meeting of the week will be held in Hobart, with the first of eight races set down for 18:19.
Monday: Trials are scheduled for Hobart and Burnie.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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