18 September 2018 | Shane Yates
Mark and Ben Yole stormed to the top of the Drivers and Trainers Premiership with four winners apiece at the Hobart Pacing Club meeting on Sunday night.
Mark drove four winners from seven drives to lead Rohan Hillier by one after the second meeting of the season while Ben took up his customary position at the head of the trainers table, four wins clear of his rivals after preparing Im Barney Rubble ($4.80), Pushkin ($18), Long Ago ($26) and Gems ($7.50) for victory.
Mark began his night’s work in a blaze of glory steering home the first three winners on the card.
“Everything fell into place for Im Barney Rubble in the first, he turned in a huge run last week when he made up almost 100 metres on the field after a scrimmage at the start and ran second to Smilin Geoff, so I was confident he would perform well and when the favourite The Aussie galloped out I went hard and kept the pressure on until the 1200, when I looked back and saw The Aussie had been pulled out of it I dropped the anchor out and just dictated terms from there, he won with plenty up his sleeve,” said Mark.
“Alta Surreal (pictured) let down really well and hit the line strongly knocking off the favourite Albayzin and then Pushkin got a soft run behind the leader before we hooked out at the top of the stretch and got home over the top of them to win by a short half head.”
Just when most punters thought Mark’s winning run was over he popped up in the last to complete a winning double for Flowery Gully trainer Ken Rattray .
“El Jay’s Monet can be a little wayward on the home turn in Hobart so I was happy to sit up in the death outside the popular pick Monarkmac,” said Mark.
“I thought Conor drove a gem of a race on the leader but El Jays Monet was in for the fight and got the upperhand in the last stride to win by the narrowest of margins, it’s the first time I’ve driven four winners so it was a great thrill.”
Hannah van Dongen is off to a flying start in the defence of her first Leading Female Driver title, piloting home two winners on the card.
Hannah clinched the 2017/18 title with a total of 10 wins and has already achieved 20% of last season’s tally.
Long Ago provided Hannah with her first success toppling the favourite Goggo Gee Gee ($3.40) by 1.5-metres before scoring a runaway victory with the Bianca Heenan-trained Twenty Two Karat ($7.00).
Bianca went to the top of the Leading Female trainers table after also successfully preparing her seven-year-old gelding Alta Surreal in the Lenny The Shark Pace.
Ken Rattray joined in the celebrations for the night landing a winning double with All Over The Stars ($5.50) saluting in the TPC Life Members Trot and El Jay’s Monet which wore down the odds-on favourite Monarkmacto win by a short half head.
Marc Butler and Ricky Duggan gave punters some much-needed relief landing the only favourite for the night in race four with Adele Said ($3.20).
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