Managing owner Braden Howlett said he was “disappointed with the result, but not with the horse” after Triedtotellia was beaten into second place by Victorian comeback pacer Celebrity Royal in the $150,000 Group 1 Ladbrokes Tasmania Cup in Hobart last Saturday evening.
“I think we’re all a little deflated, but you can’t blame the horse’s gait,” he said. “He himself went three wide on the straight for 27.2 seconds and still came very close.
“In the end the draw and the way the race was run undid us.
“I don’t understand the criticism of Rohan’s (Hillier) drive. I don’t know what else he could do. He couldn’t make a mid-race move.”
“We were very happy with how well the horse went, and so were a few (Nullarbor) slot owners we have dealt with.
“One of them was the first to text me after the race saying they still wanted him to go to Perth.
“We will let the dust settle for a few days. Then we will go through the entire logistics with Rohan (Hillier).
“I am aware that we have to decide in the next week or so because he still needs a run-in and he has to go from Tassie to Melbourne and then on to Perth.”
The flight from Melbourne to Perth with horses for the Nullarbor and Quokka will take place eight days before the Nullarbor (9 April).
“It still seems like a really good option for us. There’s nothing else special for him until (Brisbane) Inter Dominion, which we’re obviously excited about,” Howlett said.
Through Adam Hamiltonfor Harness Racing Australia
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