Captain Crunch three-year-old gelding Ourtiger won his third race of the season when claiming the Fehlbergs Produce Sprintlane Pace (2090m) in Hobart on Sunday night, as he prepares for this Saturday night’s Tasmanian Guineas.
Sent out as the $1.70 favourite, trainer-driver Rohan Hillier kept the pacer out of the early speed battle from barrier two, before working forward to find the lead near the mile.
From there they dictated affairs, running his last two quarters in 28.3s and 29.4s to score by 2.7m over the fast finishing My Way ($9) and Horatius Speculo ($3.70).
The mile rate was 1:58.4s.
“He needed the run, and it was a good place to start, and I think he will continue to improve.
“He lacks a bit of a turn of foot, but he is still doing a good job,” said Hillier post-race.
Hillier has his eye on several of the upcoming three-year-old feature races in the state, including Saturday night’s $14,000 Tasmanian Guineas in Hobart.
“The Globe Derby is his main goal. I’ll nominate him for the Guineas, and we will go from there.”
Hillier had to forego his drive in the last after he was dislodged from the sulky when returning to the raceday stalls after the win of Ourtiger.
“He has got a real bad habit, that when it suits him, he will rear up and go back the other way. After the race, when going back into the stabling area, he did it, and he hit the gate, and my sulky got caught in the gate and flipped me out, and he took off.
“I did hang on to him, and I had a bit of blood coming out of my hand,” explained Hillier, who will be right to continue his driving commitments this weekend.
The fast class race of the program on Sunday was a national rating 75 to 105 event, which was taken out by the Heath Woods-trained Stepping Stones ($5.50), with driver Brodie Davis able to get a soft early section in the lead.
Four-year-old mare Miss Collann ($2.60 fav) continued her consistent form when claiming her fifth win of the season in the national rating 60 to 66 race, for the Kasey Kent and Jordan Chibnall combination.
