The Launceston Pacing Club will host several traditional Devonport Harness Racing Club features on Sunday night, including the Ulverstone Cup, Max McCormack and the Leis on Sunday’s 10-race card.
One participant making the trip down the Bass Highway to compete at the meeting is Wesley Vale trainer-driver Charlie Castles.
He was listed to play on the North West Football League representative side that was set to play the Southern Football League on Saturday, and he has three runners from his stable competing at Sunday’s meeting, including in-from mare Sabine in the Leis (2200m).
The daughter of Dawn Ofa New Day has won four of her 15 starts, with two of these wins being in Launceston at her past two starts.
“We always knew she had a bit of go in her, but we hadn’t seen (at the races) what she had shown us at home.
“Her last few have been pretty good, so we have been happy with that,” said Castles.
The mare had good wraps on her as a two-year-old, winning two of her first four starts before spending time on the sidelines.
“She has had plenty of issues. She only had one start last year as a three-year-old in the Bandbox Prelude, and she was rushed into that. She has come back this year and has been consistent.
“Sunday will be interesting, as it’s a reasonable field.
“I don’t think you could rule any of them out. Spot Ruler has been racing in open class her last couple of starts and hasn’t been disgraced, and then you have juveniles like Barbary Tales coming through.
“The Granny Smith is her main target, and before that, there is another race (with similar conditions to this Sunday’s race),” the trainer-driver explained.
Castles has two runners engaged earlier in the night in the Lees Orchard Stakes (2200m), with Maddis Tiger drawn barrier one for Todd Rattray, while Charlie will drive Lou Baby, who is two from two since arriving in the state, lining up from barrier three after an early scratching.
“It was hard to split them. Lou Baby has won his last couple, and he can be a bit tricky to drive, so I thought I would drive him as Maddis Tiger is pretty simple to drive.
“Maddis Tiger won a few and was racing well, and then he had a break. He came back and had a couple of starts, and he was a bit disappointing, so he had a little bit more time off.
“His last start was good. He only got beat around five metres to Eureka Jo and she ran second in an Easter Cup, so you have got to be happy with that.
“Lou Baby has won his last couple of races reasonably comfortably, and that’s positive. He has had good runs in those races as well. He is into three now, so we will see if he can come out of the gate a bit and take it from there.
Sunday’s program commences at 16:51, with all races to be shown on Sky Racing 1 and Tasracing Live. The meeting includes the Ulverstone Cup, which was held at the Ulverstone track until the last meeting at that venue in January 1996. It was then hosted in Devonport and moved to Launceston in 2022.
