The Juanita McKenzie stable ran the quinella in Sunday’s Group 3 Hardings Hotmix Devonport Cup with only a short half head separating her two stable runners, with Isaac getting the judges decision over Inner Light.
That was one of many highlights and a massive 10-race programme at the Devonport Showgrounds.
Saturday afternoon we saw the last meeting of the season on King Island while Hobart conducted a meeting that night with a six-race card.
This week we are back to Devonport tonight for the Harness and Hounds race meeting with 18-races to be staged between the North West Greyhound Club and the Devonport Harness Racing Club.
Sunday afternoon sees a terrific card in Hobart with the $25,000 Triple M Hobart Pacing Cup to be ran under Mobile Start conditions for the first time and the $10,000 Aldebaran Park Hobart Trotters Cup just some of the features at TAB Park Elwick.
The Stars
Juanita McKenzie – at the two hundred metre mark she knew she was going to win the $30,000 Hardings Hotmix Devonport Cup, it was just a matter of which one of her two horses it would be. At the end of 3020-metres, it was Isaac (Rodney Ashwood) defeating stablemate Inner Light (Ricky Duggan) by a short half head, the narrowest of margins given in harness racing. Isaac is raced by McKenzie and Matt Triffitt. The gelding was superbly driven by Rodney Ashwood.
Ben Yole – dominated the Devonport Cup night with a training quartet, including wins in a couple of the feature races with Heza Rummage in the $12,000 Kevin Redpath North West Plate Final and Nickys Logic in the $12,000 Derrico Cycles Mare Incentive. Yole’s other winners came lighter in the night with Got The Goods and Yellow Taxi. This season Ben Yole has trained 61 winners from a staggering 934 starters.
Four-year-olds – The Maxfield Drilling Raider Stakes isn’t till June 23, but the $50,000 Sires’ Stakes race is already shaping up as a terrific race with Sunday’s winners Streitkid and Izaha both taking a liking to the Devonport track when they both won at their first start on the circuit. Streitkid driven by Conor Crook worked forward from his wide draw early to lead all the way to score in the Impressprint Pace C2-C3 event, while Izaha was well handled by Lachlan Dakin to take out the Jeremy Rockliff MP Coastal Pacing Thousand for the C3-C4 pacers.
Samantha Gangell – drove a driving double on Devonport Cup night, her first win was aboard Nickys Logic in the $12,000 Derrico Cycles Mares Incentive and she was successful later in the night aboard Got The Goods. Gangell now joins Hannah Van Dongen at the top of the states Female Drivers Premiership.
Adrian Duggan – Has prepared Poker Storm to his 19th 20th career win at his 178th race start in Devonport on Sunday evening in the $12,000 Tasfreight Dash For Cash. The win is a credit to Duggan who has trained the horse to win a race every season from a two-year-old.
Chris Viney – only took one runner to Hobart and travelled back home with a winner, when the three-year-old El Jays Blu broke through for his first win at his fourth race start. The connections of the gelded son of Betterthancheddar also picked up their $5,000 Tasbred bonus.
KIRC volunteer committee – once again conducted another successful seven-meeting season. Graham Keeley was the harness trainer of the year, Adrian Collins driver of the year and the horse of the year award was won by Mister Resister. The KIRC also took out Event Of The Year award, apart of the King Island Councils Australia Day awards.
Multiple Winners
Hobart – Saturday evening
No trainer or driver recorded multiple wins on the six-race card.
Devonport – Sunday evening
Ben Yole – training quartet; Heza Rummage, Nickys Logic, Got The Goods and Yellow Taxi,
Todd Rattray – training double; Izaha and Juniper,
Samantha Gangell – driving double; Nickys Logic and Got The Goods,
Mark Yole – driving double; Heza Rummage and Yellow Taxi.
Calculated Sectional Standouts
Quickest last halves (800m) from last week’s action.
Hobart – Saturday evening
Remember Joe 56.59s, No Apachemee 57.34s, Shadow Control 57.71s, Reign Of Pain 57.77s and Ready To Fire 58.07s.
Devonport – Sunday evening
Alta Surreal 58.43s, Izaha 58.80s, Isaac 58.85s, Inner Light 59.02s and Stylish Trend 59.13s.
View all available Tasmanian Sectional Data by clicking here.
Tasracing Official Price
Hobart – Saturday evening
Hit’s: Shadow Ross $2.60 into $2.00, Remember Joe $3.10 into $2.60 and El Jays Blu $7.50 into $6.00.
Defied The Drift: Dasher Houli $3.50 out to $3.70.
Missed: Jet Craft $3.40 into $2.80 and Hes No Angel $21 into $10.
Devonport – Sunday evening
Hit’s: Streitkid $3.60 into $3.30, Nickys Logic $21 into $15, Juniper $2.10 into $1.75, Isaac $8.50 into $7.50 and $3.40 into $2.60.
Defied The Drift: Trumps Golden Boy $2.50 out to $2.70, Poker Storm $5.50 out to $6.00, Got The Goods $8.00 out to $11,
Missed: Artful Jay $21 into $14, Gems $41 into $17, Karalta Felesha $14 into $7.50, Perfect Mach $21 into $12, Jeans Mattjesty $51 into $21, Art Edition $21 into $12 and Stylish Trend $16 into $10.
Trial File
Carrick Park – Monday evening
All Style Sammy hadn’t been seen since his last start win at Carrick Park on December 30, but the Bgs Folly rig was back at the trials on Monday evening where he recorded the quickest winning mile rate of 2m 5.1s for 2150 metres.
Driven by Gareth Rattray, All Style Sammy recorded his last half mile in quarters of 29.9s and 28.6s, he defeated Hafter by 15-metres with Metro Mouse 20-metres away third.
Other trials were won by; Pushkin 2m 5.8s, Kohanah 2m 13.9s, Bouquet Of Roses 2m 8.8s, Bring The Flave 2m 7.5s and Bettabrown Tiger 2m 9.2s.
Week Ahead
The first meeting of Australasian harness racing’s “Team Teal” promotion will commence today in Tasmania at the Harness and Hounds combined race meeting at the Devonport Showgrounds.
Each racing body on both sides of the Tasman will contribute $200 per winner that each female drives to victory to the Women’s Cancer Foundation , and favourite punters in the early markets will be hoping that $400 will be on the tally with Kate MacLeod and Hannah Van Dongen driving two of the eight favourites tonight.
MacLeod trains and drives Rattlenhum in race two who has drawn barrier one, the nine-year-old gelded son of Riverboat King recorded his most recent win on the Devonport track five starts ago when able to lead all the way. He has two placings from another four starts on the Devonport circuit.
Van Dongen will partner Mister Magic Man in race four.
The Shelley Barnes trained pacer has been placed in two of his last three efforts and in three starts on the Devonport track he has recorded one win, that was his last win seven starts ago.
Last Sunday in Devonport five of the ten winners was able to lead throughout their respective race, so punters should keep that in mind with the $6,964 Quinella Tab Jackpot on the UTAB pool on race one.
TAB also have a $1,000 Quaddie jackpot on the UTAB pool that commences on race two.
The first harness event gets underway at 17:10 with the greyhound card commencing earlier at 15:28
It is Hobart Cup Day on Sunday at TAB Park Elwick.
In the Triple M Hobart Pacing Cup, the Todd Rattray trained and driven Harjeet looks extremely hard to beat in the $25,000 event, and punters agree to back him in from $1.95 into $1.30 on tab.com.au‘sfixed odds market that opened on Wednesday morning.
Last week’s Devonport Pacing Cup winner Isaac is the only other runner under double figures and has drifted from $2.20 out to $2.40.
Only four horses will contest the inaugural Aldebaran Park Hobart Trotting Cup which will commence the days meeting at 12:47 pm.
The Bianca Heenan trained Trumps Golden Boy will be looking for his fourth win in a row and will start off the 10-metre mark in the 2579-metre standing start race. Redason from the Rodney Ashwood stable will share the 20-metre back mark with Ten Caisses.
As the meeting is a day meeting the UTAB Quaddie will commence on race five.
Interstate on Saturday night we see Ignatius will commence his Chariots Of Fire campaign in the Group 2 Hondo Grattan.
The James Rattray trained and driven pacer has drawn outside of the front row and is a $9.00 chance for Saturday’s race.
A first or second placing will see him gain an automatic invitation to the $200,000 Chariots Of Fire on February 16.