Tasmania’s leading harness trainer Ben Yole is poised to break an Australian record for the most number of starters in a season.
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The record is held by leading Queensland trainer Grant Dixon who had 1745 runners in his home state in the 2014-15 season.
So far this season, Yole has had 1636 runners in Tasmania – an average of about 25 a meeting – and there’s still 16 meetings to go.
Assuming he can maintain that average, he will finish the season with more than 2000 runners and smash Dixon’s record.
What makes this feat quite amazing is that Tasmania averages only slightly more than 1-½ race meetings a week.
Queensland averages about five meetings a week.
Yole has 20 acceptors for the meeting in Hobart on Friday night and 32 for Launceston on Sunday night, with 14 horses doubly engaged.
What makes this feat quite amazing is that Tasmania averages only slightly more than 1-½ race meetings a week
Meanwhile, one of Yole’s stable drivers is making a strong bid for premiership honours.
Three wins last weekend have moved Conor Crook to within one win of the lead on the junior drivers’ table.
He has 15 wins for the season to Dylan Ford’s 16.
DECISIONS PENDING
The Tasmanian Racing Appeal Board has reserved its decisions in cases involving bookmaker and harness owner Stephen Walters and driver Mark Yole.
Walters appealed against a 12-month disqualification and $4000 fine imposed by stewards for illegal betting activity.
Yole appealed against a two-meeting suspension imposed for careless driving on Modern Chic at Devonport on April 20.
The board is still to hear appeals from harness trainers Ken Rattray and Mark Reggett.
RACE DELETED
The Hobart thoroughbred meeting on Sunday is down to seven races after the Benchmark 70 was deleted due to insufficient acceptors.
The 1600m event attracted 12 entries but seven of them were doubly nominated and all seven went to the alternative races.
One other withdrawal left only four final acceptors.
The whole meeting had an unusually high attrition rate, with only 86 of the 129 nominations left in the fields at acceptance time.