The $2.10 shipped favorite, the Art major The four-year-old harness racer struggled a bit in the 2789m standing start event before hitting his oars to zoom straight into the lead.
Driver Dylan Ford set a comfortable time at the front over the Tammy Langley-trained pacesetter, with the lead of 1:39.0 7.5 seconds slower than last year’s Cup. They then ran the first half of the final mile in 63.3 seconds before picking up the pace to cover the final two quarters in 30.4 seconds and 27.7 seconds and record a five-meter victory over Maebee ($2.80), while The Chancer finished third at 10.6 meters in a mile pace of 2:07.2 seconds.
“He had a light week (after Scottsdale), and we were out of the front line a little bit longer than I would have liked, and I kind of had to force him forward,” Ford said early on of the pacer’s mannerisms.
“It was probably a bit slow in time, but he did it very easily. With Neon on my outside I didn’t expect much pressure.
“I gave him one move in the (last) corner, he put two lengths on it and he went to the line on the bit,” the driver explained.
Ford said the Devonport Cup, to be held in Launceston on January 31, is the next target for the whole thing.
‘It’s his main goal, and the best thing about it is that he’s had two runs in a row on one trip, and we can now just carry on for the next fortnight.
“Some of the horses he has beaten in recent weeks have been in open class, and I think he would still be better off when it came to speed and pace.”
Horace Speculo’s victory completed a double for Dylan, who together with Goodtime Oscar ($2.70 favorite) won in the opening match.
Dylan’s sister, Tarn, also rode a winner on the program, with Done Well ($6.50) earning her 100th career win after recently entering her sixth season as a racing driver.
Both Goodtime Oscar and Done Well are trained by Tammy Langley, whose treble shared training honors in the meet with Wayne Yole.
For full race results, click here.
Through Duncan Dornauf for Tasracing
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