Tasmania’s two best pacers have important interstate assignments over the weekend.
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The Todd Rattray-trained Harjeet will contest a heat of the Vicbred Super Series at Ballarat on Friday night and the James Rattray-trained Ignatius will run in a semi-final of the Breeders Challenge at Menangle on Saturday night.
Both horses are odds-on favourites.
Harjeet will be trying to advance to the Vicbred semi-finals at Melton on Friday week and, ultimately, the $125,000 final at Melton on July 7.
Ignatius is out to qualify for the $150,000 Breeders Challenge final at Menangle on July 1.
Harjeet has won eight of his 10 starts this season including the Easter Cup and Raider Stakes.
Ignatius has won 12 of his 13 starts – five in Tasmania and seven in NSW.
ACTING CEO
Alicia Fuller will be Tasracing’s acting chief executive until a permanent replacement is found for Vaughn Lynch.
Lynch resigned last month for “personal reasons” and is returning to Victoria to take up a senior greyhound industry position.
No date has been announced for his departure.
Fuller only recently joined Tasracing as its racing operations manager after previously working for the Office Of Racing Integrity.
Tasracing chairman Dean Cooper said her temporary appointment would ensure the day-to-day operation of the business remained seamless as it continued to search for Lynch’s replacement.
BOTRA SERIES
Tasracing has selected the 10 participants for the 2018 BOTRA claiming novice drivers’ series.
They are Matthew Cooper, Taylor Ford, Samantha Gangell, Wade Rattray, Allister Woods, Kristy Grant, Braden Howlett, Charlie Castles, Connor Crook and Brady Woods. Samantha Freeman is the emergency.
The series is for drivers who are eligible to claim a concession, regardless of their age.
It will start at Devonport on Friday week, with further heats in Hobart on July 1 and Launceston on July 6.
Castles, Crook and Howlett will be contesting the series for the first time.
LAST SUNDAY
The Launceston Pacing Club this week hosts its last Sunday night meeting of the season.
The club’s remaining six meetings in July and August are all on either Wednesday or Friday nights.
Next season, the LPC has 19 of its 27 meetings on Friday nights.
ADELAIDE TRIP
Tasmania’s leading jockey Craig Newitt will ride at Morphettville on Saturday.
Newitt will be involved in all seven flat races on the program.
Victorian trainer Jarrod McLean has booked him for three horses and he also has rides for Darren Weir, Lloyd Kennewell, David Jolly and Matt Laurie.
Jason Maskiell has a full book of eight rides in Darwin on Saturday.
