16 February 2018 | Duncan Dornauf
It was another great week of Tasmanian harness racing in the past seven days.
Black Centurian broke through for a well-deserved win in the $12,000 Launceston Discretionary on Sunday, while Sea Double Ugrant was too strong for his rivals in the $12,000 Harry Holgate Memorial.
Two heats of the Allen Williams Memorial were also staged with Stuckfast successful in the heat in Burnie on Friday while Karpenkova Leis was successful in an action-packed heat in Launceston.
This week we see no racing in Tasmania on Sunday with racing being staged in Hobart this evening where the Metropolitan Cup is the main race on the nine-race programme that commences at 17:10.
Saturday’s Carrick Park Pacing Cup and Tasmanian Three-year-old Country Championship race meeting will, unfortunately, have no off-track betting but there is a quality eight event card for patrons that make there way trackside.
Both meetings will be telecast on Tasracing’s live stream service at tasracing.com.au.
The Stars
Paul Ashwood – produced a copybook drive aboard Offthetopofmyhead, whom he also trains to win the $10,000 Chartley Estate Pace. It was the four-year-old entires eight career win at start 24.
Dylan Ford – only has eight horses in his care but was able to snare a weekend double with Stuckfast at Burnie and Padabing Stride in Launceston.
Mark Yole – continued his good association with four-year-old gelding Sea Double Ugrant who took out the $12,000 Harry Holgate Memorial in Launceston.
Steven Davis – the Spreyton trainer was rewarded with a win in the $12,000 Launceston Discretionary on Sunday with Black Centurian who has been racing well in a number of feature races without winning.
Laughyaheadoff – continued her liking for the Burnie track when she brought up her sixth win at the venue which was her ninth win overall. The Allister Woods trained and driven mare has finished in the top three placings on 16 occasions with only one of those efforts coming under mobile start conditions.
Multiple Winners
Burnie – Friday
Gareth Rattray – driving double; Stuckfast and As Himself.
Launceston – Sunday
Todd Rattray – driving treble; Harjeet, Dasher Houli and Karpenkova Leis. Training double with; Harjeet and Karpenkova Leis.
Calculated Sectional Standouts
Quickest last halves (800m) from last week’s action in Launceston on Sunday.
Washmepockets 55.71, Jaccka Len 55.84, Chilla Breeze 55.86, Call Her Julie and Isaac 56.10.
View all sectional data from the meeting here.
Tasracing Official Price
Burnie
Defied The Drift: Jeanette Barry $3.20 out to $3.90, Stuckfast $6 out to $7, Laughyaheadoff $3.20 out to $4.20.
Missed: Sketch $11 into $9.50
Launceston
Hit: Albayzin $2.20 into $2.00
Defied The Drift: Dasher Houli $17 out to $21, Karpenkova Leis $4.80 out to $5.50
Missed: Metro Digby $18 into $16, Followthewind $2.20 into $2.05
Black Booker
Karalta Moondance
Drawing outside the front row after being placed ODM at her only start this Kent Rattray trained filly was restrained to the tail of the field and was driven for luck along the fence till halfway along the back straight where she was eased three wide and she showed a nice turn of foot to make up good ground to narrowly just miss out on second place. That was her first race start where she has completed the course so no doubt she will take not only some natural improvement out of the run but some confidence as well after her first start misdemeanour.
Watch the replay here.
Trial File
Hobart on Monday
The quickest mile rate of the five trials staged was by The Majority who recorded a mile rate of 2:01.8 when winning a 2090 metre standing start trial. The gelded son of Art Major was driven by Christian Salter who guided the Matthew Dwyer trained pacer to a 15-metre win over Seenohearnospeakno.
Other winners included; Rollon Jack (2:06.3), Parumpapumpum (2:08.2), Delightful Julie (2:04.6) and The Aussie (2:03.9).
Carrick Park on Monday
Former New Zealand pacer I’m Compliant recorded the quickest mile rate at the Carrick Park session of 2:04.4. The Rohan Hillier trained and driven pacer settled last in the six-horse field before working into the trial over the final circuit. The five year old Live Or Die gelding who won five races across the Tasman raced under the name of Compliant.
The remaining trials were won by; No Apachemee (2:08.9), Jakes A Joy (2:07.7), Pezzamystic (2:12.7), All Style Sammy (2:08.8) and Semowillrev (2:08.4).
Week Ahead
The tier one meeting of the week will be run in Hobart on Friday evening where the Metropolitan Cup is the feature event on the programme where the Matthew Dwyer trained The Majority and Queens Advocate have drawn barriers one and two.
Inform driver Jack Laugher who drove a winner at Bendigo in central Victoria on Wednesday night will take the reins on The Majority who comes off a trial win on the track on Monday evening when he rated 2:01.8 after starting off a 40-metre handicap.
Gareth Rattray will take the reins on Queens Advocate who has won two out of her past four starts including her last start effort in the Toreace Flying Mile on February 4.
The meeting gets underway at 17:10, with the first race to be shown on Sky Racing 1 while the remaining races will be shown on Sky Racing 2. tasracing.com.au‘s live stream coverage will also telecast the meeting.
The Carrick Park Pacing Club will stage there cup meeting on Saturday with the first race commencing at 15:25.
The Cup looks like another open race on paper with numerous county cup winners from this season including the St Marys Cup dead heaters in Solid As A Rock and Full Speed Ahead who also has the Scottsdale Cup on his CV, Burnie Cup winner Hez The One and last start New Norfolk Cup winner Poker Storm.
Unlike previous years there will be no off-track betting on the programme with Ubet. There will be no radio coverage of the meeting and the only telecast of the eight-race card will be via live stream at tasracing.com.au.
There will be no harness racing in Tasmania on Sunday.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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