Junior driver Hannah Van dongen upset punters and her boyfriend when she won on outsider Regal Idea at Devonport on Thursday night.
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Regal Idea was a $34.50 chance on the tote and finished too strongly for $3.10 favourite Out Of Art in the Corrosion Technology Pace.
Out Of Art, who had led from the pole, was driven by Van dongen’s partner Wade Rattray.
However the win was certainly popular with Van dongen’s family, as the seven-year-old is raced and trained by her father Craig.
Lightweight Hannah, who harbours ambitions to be a jockey, has now won four races on Regal Idea, the past two at Devonport.
It was also Regal Idea’s fourth win since Craig Van dongen started training the gelding himself.
“We’ve had the horse all along but Michael Dornauf prepared him for us before I got my licence about two years ago,” the trainer said.
Hannah combines driving in harness races with riding trackwork but hasn’t had much involvement with the thoroughbreds over winter.
“Hopefully I will get to do a bit more over summer,” she said.
Van dongen was once too light to obtain an apprentice jockeys’ licence but, at 49 kilograms, now meets that requirement.
YOLE TREBLE
Ben Yole took training honours with a treble and his brother Mark was the most successful driver with a double.
Yole moved to 28 wins for the season after wins with Flash Anatomy ($7), Shakti Bromac ($7.50) and Lord Jones ($12).
Each of the leading trainer’s winners had a different driver, with Mark Yole, Robert Walters and Rohan Hillier sharing the spoils.
Mark Yole’s other winner was the Wayne Campbell-trained Ken Two Stars who ran down odds-on favourite Buster Bruv in the Roberts Pace.
Ken Two Stars had been placed at four of his six starts since a 13-month layoff but was easy in the betting at $8.
He has now won five races from 29 starts.
TOUGH NIGHT
Gareth Rattray gave favourite-backers their only respite on a tough night when he won the Hardings Hotmix Pace on Miss Ruthless ($2.70).
After enjoying a perfect run, one-out, one-back, Miss Ruthless broke through for her first victory since coming to Tasmania earlier this year.
She was trained by Ben Yole before being transferred to Rattray’s partner Melissa Maine at Latrobe.
Punters were on the wrong foot again in the last race in a battle of the “triples”.
Christian Salter landed $11 chance Our Triple Asset by a nose over $2.30 favourite Triple Aitch Fella in the Sea FM Pace.