Black Ops in Hobart
MAJOR IN ART entire Black Ops ($3.20 fav) continued his excellent form in Hobart on Friday night when the pacer recorded his 18th career victory in a rating 55 to 64 event.
Trained and driven by Mark Yole, the nine-year-old settled one-out and six-back before gaining a three-wide cart up over the final 1100 metres of the race.
Yole asked the pacer for the supreme effort at the 350-metre point, and the entire responded with a fast-finishing burst to record a narrow victory over the early leader Kiavino Stride in a mile rate of 2m 2.2s for the 2090 metre distance.
The win put Yole into third spot on the states drivers title with 19 wins for the 2021 season.
Mark’s brother Ben extended his lead on the state trainers title with a training quartet on the six-race card.
Keep Playing ($7.00) kicked off Ben’s winning night, when Conor Crook drove the gelding to a 1.8-metre victory in a rating 30 to 44 event where Ben prepared the first four placegetters.
Ben was always going to train the winner of race three as he prepared all nine runners in the rating 40 or better standing start event.
It was the Sans A Flyin gelding Heza Rummage defying a betting drift ($4.80 out to $8.00) to score eased down by 11.2 metres after putting the race beyond doubt at the 400-metre point.
The win sees Bronte Miller take a one-win lead on the states Junior Drivers premiership with seven wins for the season with Samantha Gangell (six wins) in second spot.
Five-year-old mare Coveffe Hustler ($4.80 into $4.00) registered her third win of the season utilising the sprint lane to score in a time of 1m 58.9s for the mile trip, while the Bettors Delight gelding Border Cross ($4.00) ended a run of outs to score in the last race on the programme.
Troy McDonald drove both Coveffe Hustler and Border Cross. The driving double took his season total to 38 wins, 11 clear of his nearest rival on the states drivers title.
The leading female trainer in the state is Brighton based trainer Tammy Langley who now sits two wins clear after Big Bang Raj ($3.30 out to $5.50) registered an overdue win in the nights opening race.
Dylan Ford drove a patient race behind the leader before utilising the sprint lane for the victory.
WATCH Big Bang Raj take out the opening race on the Hobart card:
