For A Reason gelding, Our Rob Roy took out Tasmania’s first two-year-old race for the 2026 season, in Launceston on Friday night.
Driven by Kayleb Williams, Our Rob Roy was restrained from a wide draw to settle last of the five before racing in the one-one from the 750m.
Williams eased the pacer three wide at the 300m, with the gelding putting up a great battle with Bettor Than Ready ($3.60) in the home straight, with a half-head between them at the finish. That duo were 22.7m clear of Bettys Girl ($5.50) in a mile rate of 1:58.8s.
Our Rob Roy, along with stablemate Soul Of Karalta, who finished down the track, were the first two-year-old starters prepared by trainer Neville Rattray.
Our Rob Roy is the second foal from the Wester Terror mare, Littlebitof Terror, and was passed in at the 2025 Nutrien Tasmanian Harness Racing Yearling Sale before being purchased soon after the sale.
“We were the only ones that bid on him, and he was passed in, and then we went and negotiated after with his breeder, Peter Tuson,” said Rattray.
“He is a lovely horse, and he has just improved every week.
“Six weeks ago, I was working the two of them separately, and Murphy (Kayleb William’s sister), who has been helping me out, said Kayleb would come up and drive one for me, and I needed the second driver, and he has been coming up every Saturday and has driven Roy, which has allowed him to get better,” said the trainer.
The good form of John and Karen Kendall’s Tasmanian sojourn continued when My Beautiful Life ($3.10) claimed the Tasmanian Horse Transport Pace (1680m).
Also by For A Reason, the mare led all the way, and was untroubled to win by 14.6m in 1:57.0s.
The Kendalls intend to relocate from Victoria to Tasmania in the near future.
Another big-margin winner was the first race winner, Lougle ($1.55 fav), for trainer-driver Conor Crook.
The five-year-old Sweet Lou gelding won his first race on debut as a four-year-old in July 2025, and he now boasts a record of four wins from eight starts, with his winning mile rate for Friday’s no more than three lifetime win event being a career best winning mile rate 1:55.0s for the 1680m trip.
