Heats of the four-year-old legs of the Tasbred series, the Raider Stakes, and Granny Smith headline a mammoth 12-race twilight card in Launceston on Sunday.
Last year’s Globe Derby winner Hungry Hippo is back to defend his title, now in the care of former Tasmanian, now Victorian-based trainer-driver Alex Ashwood.
Okanui Beach, who won the Dandy Patch as a two-year-old before finishing second in the Globe Derby Stakes, is back in the state and is part of a team of horses that his Victorian-based trainer Craig Turnbull has in the state, with his stay to include the Beautide in early August, for which Okanui Beach is eligible.
“We had a bad prep with him last year. Just before he was due to come into work, he got an infection in the paddock, and then we were always behind the eight ball.
“We had foot issues and everything like that, so we decided to give him a good long spell when he came back after the Globe Derby, and he’s come back and is going really well. I was really happy with him the other night when he resumed.”
That first-up run was at Bendigo in central Victoria on 17 June, where he overcame a second-row draw in a 1650m race, where he sprinted home best in the straight to score in a mile rating of 1:53.6.
“He can sit off a hot speed, and he seems a bit more relaxed this time, so that should help him as well.”
Craig’s daughter Abbey, who was part of Tasracing Live’s coverage of Devonport Pacing Cup night earlier this year, will take the drive on Sunday from barrier four.
The first six from each heat qualify for the $75,000 final on 19 July, meaning every runner in Okanui Beach’s six-horse heat will progress if they finish the race, with the seventh-placed runner from the opening heat the emergency.
Turnbull is staying with the Maxfield family during his Tasmanian stay, with Mick being the breeder of Okanui Beach before offering him at auction as a yearling.
The trainer has several other runners across the card, including two-year-old Sabalenka, who will be on debut in race one.
“She is still learning, but she doesn’t go too bad. The trip will do her well, and she’s a nice enough filly.”
Four-year-old Fourth Response lines up in race five after being defeated by 7.7m in a 1:54.6 mile rate at Wagga last start.
“He was a nice three-year-old. He was pretty disappointing his first couple of runs back this time in, but we screwed him down a bit and he was pretty good the other day at Wagga, and has been well since,” said the trainer.
Rounding out Turnbull’s team on Sunday is Intrusion, who lines up in the Free For All.
“He has been really good in good-quality races. He was good at Menangle (two starts ago).
“He is a really nice horse. He has come on really well since his last start at Melton, where we had him out of his comfort zone, as he tends to like to find his feet early. So I have just been ticking him over with this trip in mind, and he should go really well. He’s a really nice, honest horse,” the trainer said.
Turnbull was happy with how his team travelled to the state by boat, arriving on Wednesday morning.
At the time of writing, the first three races are listed for Sky Racing 2, with races four to 12 on Sky Racing 1.
The first race is scheduled for 15:19.
