28 April 2023 | Duncan Dornauf for Tasracing
Reinswoman Olivia Weidenbach is enjoying a career-best start to the season, and she hopes that continues in Hobart on Friday night.
Weidenbach has driven 11 winners so far this season, which sees her sit 10th on the state’s drivers’ premiership and equal first with Tiarna Ford for the female driver’s title.
One more winner will see Weidenbach have her second-best season in the sulky, with her best term coming when based in Victoria, driving 21 winners in 2021.
Weidenbach will drive in all seven races in Hobart, rating Ranieri in the third race as her best winning chance.
“He has been going really well, he is an honest horse that always runs his heart out,” Weidenbach said about the Art Major gelding.
“I think he will need a bit of luck, but if he can come with one run, he can be thereabouts.”
Ranieri has had 14 starts this season for one win and five placings, including a last start third behind Fury Dan in Hobart two weeks ago.
“I was really happy with him last start, but the draw didn’t help him,” the driver explained.
Somedan, in the night’s final race, was another Weidenbach gave a strong push for.
The veteran pacer has already won two races this season, and the driver is confident she can figure again in the rating 53 to 60 event.
“He is one of my favourites at the stable.
“It would be awesome if we could lead as he loves being in front and bowling along, but if we end up outside the leader it isn’t the worse place to be and I would expect him to be in the finish,” said the driver.
The race is named the Vale Milton Pettit Pace.
Pettit passed away last Friday after a short battle with cancer aged 86.
In the thoroughbred code, he called 41 Hobart Cups, the Kentucky Derby on two occasions and the Hollywood Invitational.
When inducted into last year’s Harness Racing Hall of Fame, Milton was unsure how many Tasmanian Pacing Championships he called; other than it was a lot, he also called the 1981 Inter Dominion and the International Trot at Yonkers in New York in 1970.
He retired from calling in September 1999, with his last race call being at the track where it all started in 1954 at his hometown of Kalgoorlie when calling the last race on Hannan’s Day.
Milton also held the photography contract for Southern Tasmania race meetings for nearly 60 years.
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