Jeremes Jet gelding Hez The One was certainly that when he took out the $12,000 Burnie Harness Racing Club Cup on Sunday.
Settling about 30 metres from the leader after half a lap, trainer-driver Mark Yole positioned Hez The One one-out and four-back when the field bunched up after the first circuit was completed in the 2789-metre event which is just on four and a half laps of the Wivenhoe Showgrounds. Yole commenced a three-wide move with a lap and a half to travel but had to restrain when he was forced four-wide momentarily before Yole was able to quickly gain a threewide trail.
Destreos has only one win to go to become only the third pacer in Australian Harness Racing history to bring up a century of wins, after the 14-year-old registered his 99th win in Launceston on Friday evening. Driver Gareth Rattray took the gelded son of Astreos straight to the lead in the 2200-metre event from barrier six, and was able to hold off a late charge from Remember Joe to win the $8,100 race by a head.
Also in Launceston on Friday evening we saw the running of the $15,000 Keith Stanley Debutante Stakes. The action-packed race was won by the Kent Rattray-trained and John Walters-driven Sunny Sanz.
This week Harness Racing in Tasmania heads to the Devonport Showgrounds on Sunday evening for the running of the 2018 Hardings Hotmix Devonport Pacing Cup, the action will then head to Hobart on Wednesday afternoon.
The Stars
Mark Yole - added the 2018 Burnie Harness Racing Club Cup to his resume after he prepared and drove Hez The One to victory in the $12,000 feature on Sunday night. It was the Jeremes Jet gelding's third start in the state after Yole picked the pacer out of a claiming race in South Australia early last month for his stable clients.
Destreos - the Ken Rattray-trained warhorse now only has one win to go to crack the ton after an all the way win in Launceston on Friday. The 14-year-old gelding who has now been racing in Tasmania for five months.
Gareth Rattray - not only did he partner Destreos to his 99th win on Friday, Rattray was able to drive four winners across the weekend, the multiple state drivers premiership winner is now only four wins off the lead in this season's title.
Sunny Sanz (pictured) - the gelded son of Sportswriter couldn't have been more impressive when winning Australia's first two-year-old race for the 2017/2018 season the Keith Stanley Debutante Stakes on Friday. Sunny Sanz defeated the heavenly backed Cool Water Paddy by 35-metres.
Multiple winners
Launceston - Friday
Gareth Rattray - driving double; Ready To Fire and Destreos.
John Walters -driving double; Sunny Sanz and Padabing Stride.
Todd Rattray - training double; Taurisi and Hayleys Comet.
Barrie Rattray - driving double; Taurisi and Hayleys Comet.
Burnie - Sunday
Gareth Rattray - driving double; Hot Shot Bonnie and Artarama.
Ben Yole - training double; Long Ago and Artarama.
Calculated Sectional Standouts
Quickest last halves (800m) from last week’s action in Launceston on Friday.
Remember Joe 56.45, Illegal Immigrant 56.70, Washies Chance 57.19, Fernco Bobby G 57.21 and Modern Ruler 57.30.
View all starters sectional data from the meeting here.
Tasracing Official Price
Launceston
Hit: Frankie Falzoni $11 into $9
Defied The Drift: Sunny Sanz $1.55 out to $2.35
Missed: Jeans Mattjesty $5.50 into $4.20
Burnie
Hit:Sign Of A Tyne $4 into $2.80
Defied The Drift: Jeanette Barry $3 out to $3.20
Missed: Karalta Delux $12 into $8.50
Black Booker
Resurgent Dream
This American Ideal mare drew outside of the front row over the 1680-metre journey in Launceston on Friday evening. Driver Natalee Emery restrained the filly looking for a position to slot into soon after the start of the race, unfortunately there was no room to slot into but when Emery got the pacer to near last position she was then able to gain a trail in the three-wide line over the final 1000 metres of the race to only finish 11.6 metres from the winner. The Tasracing Calculated Sectionals recorded her last half mile in 58.38 seconds which was the quickest last half mile outside of the winner in the race.
Watch the replay here.
Trial File
Hobart on Monday
Six trials were staged at in Hobart where The Aussie recorded the quickest mile rate of the night when winning a C2 and better standing start trial over 2090 metres. The American Ideal gelding won his trial by 25 metres over his only other rival, Hit The Lights who was the early leader. The Aussie is trained by Juanita McKenzie and was driven in the trial by Rodney Ashwood.
Other winners on the night included; Isaac (2:03.5), Still Hungover (2:08.1), Rock The Casbolt (2:05.4), Vouvray Beach (2:06.7), The Aussie (2:05.4) and Usain Jolt (2:04.7).
Devonport on Monday
The Brett Jaffray-trained and driven Pliskova Leis continued on her winning way at the trials after winning in Burnie the week prior. The daughter of Lis Mara recorded a mile rate of 2:11.0 when winning her 1930-metre trial by a half neck over Maybe Leilani and Pure Love.
The other two trials on the night were won by Guesstamate (2:03.7) and Tinas Time (2:10.7).
Week Ahead
The Hardings Hotmix Devonport Pacing Cup headlines the harness racing scene in Tasmania this weekend.
An even field has been assembled for the $30,000 feature that will be ran over the marathon 3020-metre journey.
Only three north-west trained pacers will contest the race including the Shelley Barnes trained Chief Destroyer who comes in the race off a last start fifth placing in the Burnie Cup. The other north-west coast trainer in the race is Steve Davis who will train last year's runner-up Black Centurian and Modern Ruler who is one of four horses that will share the 10-metre handicap row.
Davis is one of four trainers in the race to have two horses accepted in the race with Matthew Dwyer being represented by Queens Advocate and The Majority, Rohan Hillier has Solid As A Rock and Dapper Dana while Juanita McKenzie prepares Remember Joe and the second emergency for the race Isaac.
Other feature races on the night include the $12,000 Derrida Cycles Mares Incentive, $12,000 Kevin Redpath North West Plate Final, $12,000 Jeremy Rockliff MP Costal Pacing Thousand and the $8,100 Tasfreight Dash For Cash.
The Devonport Pacing Cup meeting will feature a hosted live stream coverage on tasracing.com.au with an in-depth coverage on each race commencing approximately 15-minutes prior to scheduled start time.
Harness Racing will then head to Hobart on Wednesday afternoon for "Sprint Day" where all races are to be run over 1140-metres or 1609-metres. Fields for the meeting will be released on Friday afternoon.
