Three-year-old gelding Lets Go Bill broke his maiden status in Launceston last night when leading all the way to score in the Bevan Lee’s Butchery Maiden.
Backed from $6.00 into being the $3.70 race favourite, the gelded son of Stonebridge Regal was able to spear straight to the early lead where reinsman Dylan Ford had little to worry about with the pacer recording a 4.6-metre victory over Fury Dan ($21 into $9.50) and Iden Miss Lucy ($6.00).
The pacer was first-up with no trial, but that wasn’t a concern for trainer Mark Reggett who was more concerned by the wide draw.
“I thought he would go good, my main concern was the draw as I thought he might have ended up in the death, but when he got to the front easy, I knew he would have been hard to beat from there,” said Reggett post-race.
It was the pacers eighth career start, after being placed in two of his previous six-starts last season as a two-year-old.
“He raced the best down here last season, but I think that has got him in good stead going forward,” explained the trainer and part-owner.
Reggett indicated that a $12,000 open three-year-old in Hobart this week is an option for the pacer.
“I will see how he pulls up. If he pulls up well, we will have a look at the Sires’ Produce in Hobart on Sunday, but that will depend on the next 24-hours. Other than that, I will just keep ticking along with him,” said Reggett.
The win was the first leg of a driving double for Ford, who scored on the Michael Laugher trained Christian Jaz ($13) later in the night.
Concession driver Bronte Miller registered her first driving double in her career with Aha Reaction ($7.00) and Ranieri ($7.00). Both horses are trained by Ben Yole, who ended up with four winners on the seven-race card.
Yole’s other winners were Good Feelings and Dolly Miss Molly, who were driven by the states’ leading driver, Troy McDonald.
Bridport trainer Brooke Hammond completed a cross-code double with a galloper she part-owns, Travelling Gigolo winning in Hobart before Moonlite Bay justified his $1.24 quote in the opening race.
The gelded son of Sportswriter was taken straight to the lead by Gareth Rattray and held off a late charge by Rockandahardplace.
Hammond will be chasing a tri-code trifecta at the greyhounds in Launceston on Monday. She is a part of the Pacing to Chasing Syndicate that race Man Over Board who lines up as a $7.50 chance in race five.
