Class pacer Scooterwillrev showed he was on target for the Launceston Pacing Club’s biggest pre-Christmas race with a brilliant win at Mowbray on Friday night.
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The Craig Hayes-trained five-year-old demolished his rivals in the Doug Martin Danbury Park Cup, becoming the first horse for 44 years to win the prestigious event off a 30m handicap.
After tracking fellow backmarker Riverboat Jasper into the race, Scooterwillrev dashed clear in the straight to beat that horse by almost 12m.
The gelding’s next target is the $30,000 standing-start feature race – still to be officially named – that has heats on December 9 and a final on December 14.
Under the conditions of that race, he will come forward to the front line and meet Riverboat Jasper on 20m better terms.
Driver Rohan Hadley gave a copybook display on Scooterwillrev ($2.80 into $2.30 with Ubet fixed odds) but deflected any praise.
“You need the horsepower,” Hadley said.
“He’s a good horse with something to chase but he gets a little bit lackadaisical in front.
“But he hasn’t had a lot of racing just yet.
“These type of horses sometimes get better when they get down in grade because the tempo of the races is much stronger and they’ve got a high cruising speed.”
KVITOVA LEIS is off to stud despite one of the best wins of her career in the $12,000 Shirley Martin Mother Of Pearl.
In a rough-hourse race, the Todd Rattray-trained and driven mare finished powerfully to score by just over 6m rating 1:59.8 for the 2200m.
“Her last three runs have been pretty good since we stopped working her as much and freshened her up,” Rattray said.
“This will be her last season of racing as they are going to get her in foal, after this run probably.
“I’m not sure if she’ll keep racing for a little while after she is in foal because we’ve always had a few problems with her, so it will depend on how she is.”
CROOK AGAIN
Conor Crook completed the feature double for junior drivers when he scored a nine-point win in the Youngbloods Challenge series that ended on Friday night.
Crook also won the BOTRA novice drivers’ series earlier in the year.
A second on Couta Rocks and fourth on Tisu Bombbelle in the final two heats were enough to clinch the title.
Hannah Van dongen, who won the fifth heat on Goggo Gee Gee, finished second on 48 points with Troy McDonald and Sam Gangell equal third on 46.
The sixth and last heat was won by Matthew Howlett on Twenty Two Karat.
