The injury-plagued harness racing gelding has never raced better and peaked at the right time to overcome a poor barrier in the $150,000 Group 1 Ladbrokes Tasmania Cup in Hobart on Saturday evening.
It would be the biggest win of his interrupted career and take him to some serious interstate targets, including the Ladbrokes Brisbane Inter Dominion series at Albion Park in July.
“He seems very good,” said trainer-driver Rohan Hillier. “Obviously the draw (gate 12) isn’t great, but we’ve had some good draws along the way so we’ll have to make do with this one.
“He hasn’t had any problems and he was a bit fresh when he won his heat (of the Tasmania Cup) two weeks ago because it was his first race in five weeks. He will be better this week.”
“Even though he was sharp last time, he still won well. We just don’t want bad luck from that draw.”
Hillier rates local veterans The Shallows (gate 11) and talented former Kiwi pacer Dalton Shard (nine) as the toughest to beat.
“In the heats, The Shallows would have been the biggest threat, but he’s been pulled behind us badly, so I’d now lean towards Dalton Shard as the one to beat. He’s building with every run here,” he said.
Hillier is relieved from his own position that there are no mainland raiders in the race, but hopes that will change in the coming years for the greater good of Tasmanian harness racing.
“It makes it easier for us, but I think having heats and the timing of them so close to the Hunter Cup and Miracle Mile is not ideal,” he said.
“I hear they might do away with the heats and keep it as a one-off race and look for a better time slot next year. That would be great for the race.”
Hillier stressed that wider plans for Triedtotellya were being put on hold until after Saturday evening.
“This is the big target, we will get through that and then look at the bigger picture, but we said Inter Dominion is a target and everything is going well,” he said.
There is also speculation that at least one WA-based slot holder in the $1.25 million Group1 Nullarbor has approached Triedtotellia’s owners.
“I’ll leave it to them to talk about it after this weekend,” Hillier said.
The Nullarbor is at Gloucester Park on April 17 and at this stage the only confirmed ‘raider’ is reigning Miracle Mile hero Don Hugo ahead of trainer-driver Luke McCarthy.
Menangle trainer Jason Grimson has touted recent stable signing Chase A Dream as a possible runner.
Through Adam Hamiltonfor Harness Racing Australia
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