The biggest race of the harness season is just around the corner – The Group 1 Tasmania Cup.
This Friday night at Hobart the Tasmanian Trotting Club will host the first of the heats with an extremely strong field contesting for a spot in the final.
Yole will take the reins on Hot Deal for the first time which has been consistent since visiting from across the water.
Friday 7 March
Race 1 – Heres Henry: Six weeks since his last run has this guy on the fresh side. He has drawn horribly, so I will most likely have to drive him for some luck.
Race 2 – Chasin Frankie: This mare brings consistent form from King Island. It appeared something was amiss with her at the trials on Monday night, so I would expect that it has been rectified. The draw is a bit tricky so I will be trying to slot her in with a bit of cover.
Race 4 – Kerala Star: I felt this guy was knocking on the door at his past few runs where he has not enjoyed the best of luck. He has also had a little freshen up since his last outing. He gets a nice trailing draw, and if he can work his way into the race, I think he can make his presence felt.
Race 5 – Hot Deal: I’m very excited to get the opportunity to drive this horse. I think his last three runs have all been very good here in Tasmania. He gets back to the 10 m handicap as opposed to the 30m he had last start. He is still learning the standing starts, but he looked more comfortable last time out. This is a red-hot field, as you would expect in a heat of The Tasmanian cup. If I can get him away well and up in the front half of the field, I think he can be a major player here.
Race 6 – Tough Shaz (Best of the night): A winner of both her starts in the state, I think she has been very impressive. This is a tougher assignment, being a heat of Tasmania’s top mares race the George Johnson. She gets the perfect draw as she has great gate speed as she showed last start. I expect to be leading, and she should be very hard to beat.
