Triedtotellya ($1.40 fav) overcame a 30m handicap to claim another Launceston Pacing Club feature, this time in the Doug Martin Danbury Park Cup (2698m) in Launceston on Sunday night.
The five-year-old gelded son of Well Said galloped away in the standing start event, and settled in the back-half of the field. The pacer was one-out and four-back in the running line when trainer-driver Rohan Hillier made his move three-wide near the 900m. He was under double wraps when he ran to the lead near the 400m, before racing away from his rivals in the home straight, and was eased down in the shadows of the post to win by 9.7m from The Shallows ($21) and Keayang Fitzy ($31) in a mile rate of 2:00.3s.
“He began the worst he ever has in his life and gave them another 10m to his handicap, but he did a really good job. It was a stop-start sort of race.
“He was jogging at the 600m, he did knock off halfway up the straight, and I was really happy with him,” said Hillier.
“The Hobart Cup (on 11 January) and the Tassie Cup are his main targets. He may have a little break after those two, and maybe his Inter Dominion rankings may be up a bit more than last year,” Hillier quipped.
The Tasmania Cup in 2026 has been changed from a standing start event to a random barrier draw mobile start, and will be held earlier than recent years, with heats on 13 and 20 February before the $150,000 Final on 28 February.
Triedtotellya is also eligible for a $20,000 bonus if he can win the Tasmania Cup, with the bonus up for grabs if the winner is Tasmanian-bred.
Triedtotellya’s victory completed a driving double for Hillier, who won earlier in the night with Miki Sing ($1.07 fav).
Victorian trainer Mitchell Frost has the Always B Miki rig in the state for a short campaign, which will include the Tasmanian Country Championship at Carrick Park on 28 January.
“His form in Victoria is pretty good, and he was entitled to beat them, but his last 200m was pretty good,” said Hillier.
Miki Sing is out of the Albert Albert mare Powerful Princess, who produced the Shirley Martin Mother Of Pearl winner, Ultimaction ($1.60 fav).
Driver Jordan Chibnall took the mare straight to the lead, where she was untroubled to score by 6.3m to make it six wins in a row.
Trainer Conor Crook explained post-race that the mare will likely have a short let-up before mapping out a preparation that culminates in the state’s premier mare’s race, the George Johnson, in February.
