A PERTH raid for the $1.25 million Group 1 Nullarbor is still firmly on the cards for boom Tasmanian pacer Triedtotellya.
Managing owner Braden Howlett said he was “disappointed with the result but not the horse” after Triedtotellya was beaten into second spot by Victorian comeback pacer Celebrity Royal in last Saturday night’s $150,000 Group 1 Ladbrokes Tasmania Cup in Hobart.
“I think we’re all a bit deflated, but you can’t fault the horse's run,” he said. “He went 27.2sec himself out three-wide down the back straight and still got very close.
“In the end, the draw and the way the race was run brought us undone.
“I don’t understand the criticism of Rohan’s (Hillier) drive. I don’t know what else he could do. He couldn’t make a midrace move.
“We were thrilled with how well the horse went and so too were a couple of (Nullarbor) slot owners we’ve been dealing with.
“One of them was the first to text me after the race saying how keen they still were for him to go to Perth.
“We’re just letting the dust settle for a few days. Then we’ll get together with Rohan (Hillier) and go through all the logistics.
“I’m mindful we’ll have to decide in the next week or so because he’ll need another lead-up run and he’ll have to get from Tassie to Melbourne and then across to Perth.”
The flight from Melbourne to Perth carrying horses for the Nullarbor and Quokka is slated to go eight days before the Nullarbor (April 9).
“It still looks a really good option for us. There’s really nothing else of note for him now until the (Brisbane) Inter Dominion, which we’re obviously keen on,” Howlett said.
PHOTO: Stacey Lear
