Village Of Dreams won the Australian Derby at Launceston on Sunday Photo by Gary Wild
Delacombe (Ballarat) trained pacer Village Of Dreams has became the first South Australian owned & bred pacer to win the $125,000 Group One Country Club Tasmania Australian Derby at The Tote Racing Centre in Launceston last Sunday Night.
It was a career-best performance by the Peter Tonkin-trained three-year-old that was driven brilliantly by Australia's best reinsman Gavin Lang.
Lang had the gelding positioned three-back on the pegs from his outside draw in gate eight.
When Lang aimed the three-year-old Village Jasper Colt at a space on the inside of the leader and favourite Living On Fire about 100 metres from home Village Of Dreams sprouted wings and hit the line a head clear of Living On Fire. Rating 2:01.7 for the 2698 meter trip.
Eddie Austin was given the role of caretaker trainer for Tonkin's Tasmanian trip and he was ecstatic after the race.
"I had the honor of driving this horse to a couple of wins this campaign and I was quietly confident he would run a race because he was a very good second to Garnet River a week earlier in the Tasmanian Derby," Austin said.
"He is definitely a horse of the future because he has improved throughout this preparation."
Austin is the son of Tasmanian horseman Ken Austin. He drove in Tasmania before heading interstate to broaden his horizons about eight years ago.
For Lang it was just another Group One but he was lucky to secure the drive.
Tonkin booked driver Chris Alford to drive Village Of Dreams, and other horses trained by him on the program, but Alford opted to stay at home in Victoria.
This paved the way for Lang to take the sit and he made the most of the opportunity.
For Lang it was his second Australian Derby win. He won on The Sentry in 2004. He joins Chris Alford and Vin Knight to be the only drivers to win multiple Australian Derby’s.
Living On Fire led after a battle with Garnet River, that ended up with the one-out-one-back sit, while Staghorn Flat trailed the leader throughout.
Living On Fire's driver Damian Wilson tried to pinch it by booting clear at the top of the home straight but in doing so he created gaps behind him, one of which was filled by Village Of Dreams.
In the other feature races on the program, Ohoka Utah overcame a 20 meter handicap for Lance Justice in the Group Three Nichols Sound & Communications Easter Cup beating Dontfencemein and Yakuza.
Beauty Point trainer Rohan Hillier trained the other two feature race winners. Thirsty Mach (by Mach Three) took out the Island Block & Paving Golden Slipper. Rating 1:58.6 he broke the age record at Launceston of which he set back on March 29.
Hillier's other winner was in the Bullock Consulting Three Year Old Fillies Championship with Shez Ryleymak.
