It’s all about the ‘Young Guns’ of Tasmanian harness racing at present.
Last week it was the state’s best bred three-year-old’s on display in the 6tyo Bandbox which was won by Nostra Beach and the Roberts Equine Supplies Globe Derby Stakes which was won brilliantly by Izaha.
Both horses will be more than competitive in feature three-year-old races across Bass Straight in the final few months of the season.
This week sees the “Young Guns” of the human variety in the spotlight with the first two heats of the 6tyo Youngbloods Challenge being held in Devonport on Friday evening before heats three and four in Hobart on Sunday night.
The Stars
Emma Stewart and Chris Alford – Victoria’s leading trainer and driver combined for five (including two track records) of the 11 winners in Launceston on Friday evening. It was the third time this season and the 11th time in his career that Alford has achieved the feat. It was the ninth time in Emma Stewart’s training career that she has prepared five winners on the one program.
Nostra Beach – star three-year-old filly who easily won the Group 3 Bandbox. The daughter of Somebeachsomewhere will be expecting her first foal this season by top sire American Ideal, after an embryo transfer took place during the past breeding season.
Izaha (inside) holding of Feelin Dusty in the 2018 Globe Derby Final on Friday.
Izaha – the Todd Rattray trained and driven pacer followed in the footsteps of his older half-brother Harjeet when he added the Group 3 Globe Derby Final to his resume. The son of Roll With Joe now boosts an impressive record of six wins from 11 starts.
Mark Yole – told tasracing.com.au’s Live Stream audience that he was confident that he would hold the lead on Rocknrollhighlight and that the mare would be very hard to rundown. Yole’s plan paid off and the viewers that invested on the local tote would have been more than happy with the $20 starting price.
Ricky Duggan – after driving four winners in Hobart the previous week, the master driver continued his brilliant form in Launceston with a driving double.
Hannah Van dongen – warmed up for this week’s 6tyo Youngbloods Challenge with a win aboard Long Ago which now gives Van dongen a one-win lead in the states female drivers premiership.
Multiple Winners
Launceston – Friday
Emma Stewart – five training wins and Chris Alford five driving wins; Ride High, Nostra Beach, Shes Magnetic, Another Safari and Perfect Major.
Ricky Duggan – driving double; Falcon Harry and Mi Ju Dan.
Ben Yole – training double; Rocknrollhighlight and Long Ago.
Calculated Sectional Standouts
Quickest last halves (800m) from last week’s action in Launceston on Friday.
Nostra Bech 56.10, Ride High 56.70, Ideal Bliss 56.94, Feelin Dusty 56.99 and Shes Magnetic 57.01.
View all Tasmanian Sectional Data here.
Tasracing Official Price
Launceston
Hit’s: Izaha $2.60 into $2.00, Shes Magnetic $2.10 into $1.85 and Perfect Major $1.40 into $1.28.
Defied The Drift: Rocknroll Highlights $13 out to $15, Another Safari $1.85 out to $2.50, Long Ago $7 out to $8 and Falcon Harry $4.40 out to $5.00
Missed: Scooterwillrev $3.20 into $2.80 and Regal Ashes $12 into $9.50.
Black Booker
Blossom Grant
Debutant from the Scott Woods stable who has featured in the Trial File in previous weeks was a brave third on Friday evening. Driver Brady Woods positioned the daughter of Art Major one-out and one-back before making up good ground during the back straight quarter where she was recorded by the Tasracing Calculated Sectionals in 28.79secs. She battled on well in the home straight with her last quarter clocked in 29.12sec and was only defeated by a half head for second position by Karalta Moondance.
Watch the replay here.
Trial File
Hobart on Monday
Four-year-old entire Jaks Teller recorded an impressive 2:00.1 mile rate when winning the first trial of the night off a 40-meter handicap for the 2090-metre journey.
The Juanita McKenzie trained pacer defeated Streetside Classic by 2 metres in a 59.5 last half mile.
Other winners at the Hobart trials included; Resurgent Storm (2:01.6), Pezzamystic (2:09.2), Albayzin (2:02.9), Boris Bananas (2:05.7) and Dasher Houli (2:01.9).
Devonport on Monday
The Ben Yole trained Another Swinger resumed from a month away from the race track with a 2-metre win in a C2-C9 class trial. The mile rate 2:03.9 for the 2297-metre trip was clearly the quickest mile rate across the four trials held.
The remaining three trial winners were; Hez The One (2:05.0), Smokey Mac (2:09.7) and Mister Last (2:07.9).
Week Ahead
The first two rounds of heats of the 6tyo Youngbloods Challenge will be held this weekend for the state’s best up and coming drivers.
The first two heats will open the seven race card in Devonport on Friday evening.
The drivers selected are Dylan Ford, Taylor Ford, Samantha Gangell, Matthew Howlett, Braden Howlett, Samantha Freeman, Wade Rattray (emergency), Hannah Van dongen, Brady Woods, Charlie Castles and Germain Boisrame.
Boisrame is a 21-year-old driver who drove eight winners in his home country of France before moving out to Australia earlier this year where he has taken up employment with trainer-driver Todd Rattray.
Alreadyy nicknamed “The French Man” amongst participants, Boisrame has been allocated the drive on the Craig Hayes trained Semowillrev in the opening heat. The talented three-year-old pacer has won seven races from 10 career starts and goes into Friday’s race off a last-start third in the Tasmanian Derby.
Boisrame will drive the Kate MacLeod-trained Rattlenhum in Heat Two, who looks to be amongst the winning chances after the pacers top three placings in his last three starts.
A further two heats of the 6tyo Youngbloods Challenge will be held on Sunday night in Hobart.
The eyes of many harness racing fans will be tuned into the final race of the Hobart card to see the current star of Tasmanian harness racing, Harjeet, who is resuming to the race track for the first time since winning the Group 3 Raider Stakes in early May.
The Todd Rattray trained and driven gelding is being aimed at the Vicbred Series which commences in late June.
Rattray’s partner Lyrae Graham, owns star three-year-old Iganatius who will commence his NSW Breeders Challenge mission when he lines up in a heat at Penrith on Thursday evening. The James Rattray-trained and driven pacer has drawn barrier 2 on the second row in the eight-horse field that is due to start at 18:49.
Havea look at horses with Tasmanian interest that are racing at metropolitan venues this weekend:
Melton – Saturday night
Race 2 – 12. Fowsands*
Race 9 – 2. Isaac
Menangle – Saturday night
Race 6 – 4. Pachacuti* and 7. Blue Pointer*
Race 8 – 6. Rykov Leis*
*donates Tasbred horses.