It's been a long time between drinks for the Ken Rattray trained Tuxedo Max.
For 28 starts 'Max' has been all dressed up with nowhere to go, with its last victory coming at Albion Park on November 18 last year.
The dry spell came to an end at Devonport on Friday night at the Club's opening meeting of the season, as Gareth Rattray set Tuxedo Max alight from near last at the 1000-metre mark to claim the Maxfield Drilling Pace, running away in the home stretch.
The Elsu - Paris Hilton seven-year-old gelding, now the winner of fourteen races is owned in Christchurch, New Zealand by Dean and Darryl Jones.
Tuxedo Max gave Ken Rattray, the former Scottsdale horseman now based at Flowery Gully, his first success since his much-heralded mid-year return from a 25-year training stint in Queensland.
Kent Rattray's former protege Wesley Targett trained just the second winner of his career when Tiz A Shaker broke through for its maiden win in the opening race on the card.
Wesley first started helping Kent Rattray before moving on to the Todd Rattray team and they all shared in the spoils, Todd as the driver, Wesley the trainer and Kent as part-owner along with Jarrod Targett.
Midair Meltdown was the first leg of a training treble for Ben Yole and a successful double for driver Rohan Hadley when it notched up its first win since arriving in the state.
In race five Conor Crook lifted Pushkin over the line to win by a half head over stablemate and fifty-metre backmarker Hollys Miss Molly with another Yole pacer Liv Lavish a head away third.
The Ben Yole stable rounded out its night with the Hadley polish, teaming up with Jeans Mattjesty to power away in the home straight in the last at odds of $26.
Todd Rattray's second winner for the night came with his Bettors Delight-Faithful Sally gelding Hafta successfully returning from a four-month spell.
The four-year-old is unbeaten, three from three, at Devonport and took his career record to nine wins from 16 starts, scoring effortlessly by five metres after sitting outside the leader over the 2297-metre trip.
