Classy pacer Illegal Immigrant looks well placed to return to the winners' list in the best race since the shutdown at Mowbray on Sunday night.
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This year's Devonport Cup winner will start off the back mark of 20m in the Great Northern Super Crisp Discretionary but he is used to tougher handicaps.
He started off 30m in the $75,000 Tasmania Cup final and $30,000 Golden Apple final, both times finishing fourth behind the state's best horse Ryley Major.
Illegal Immigrant won a discretionary off 20m at the start of the season and has since won the Devonport Cup off 10m so this week's mark doesn't look too harsh.
Trainer Troy Hillier had the seven-year-old back at the trials three weeks ago when he ran his last 800m in 57 seconds while winning under a tight hold.
He returned to racing at Mowbray last week with a solid third to Star Chamber and Call Me Hector when his last half of 56.92 was almost identical to the winner.
Hillier's brother Rohan will supply one of Illegal Immigrant's main dangers in Dapper Dana who is sure to be fitter for his first run in more than two years.
That was at Mowbray a fortnight ago when he led easily from the mobile and was only headed in the closing stages when his condition gave out.
The winner of that race, Blackbird Power, would be hard to beat again on his best form but his last run in Hobart was not as good as his previous two.
The other major contender will be last week's Hobart winner Sea Double Ugrant, who is off 10m, while veteran frontmarker Black Centurian can never be ignored in stands.
KILLIN READY TO MAKE PRESENCE FELT
Wesley Vale trainer Glenn Stevenson would have liked to have given handy galloper Killin Falls another hit-out before the $20,000 Open Handicap at Elwick on Sunday.
But he still expects the seven-year-old to be competitive.
"If he gets the right run, he'll be thereabouts," Stevenson said.
"I wanted to give him a solid trial (over 1350m) at Spreyton on Tuesday but we ended up in what was basically a two-horse jump-out.
"So he might be one gallop short still."
Killin Falls was beaten a nose in the trial by 2018 Devonport Cup winner Brilliant Jet but jockey Ismail Toker kept him under a tight hold while the winner was pushed out hands-and-heels.
His main opposition on Sunday could come from Fragment, returning from three runs in Victoria, and Hobart Cup runner-up Shady Hustle who is resuming.
Topweight Ruettiger also looks well placed with the claim for Brandon Louis but is having his first start over 1400m since coming to Tasmania.
BOTRA TO PUSH FOR TRADITIONAL TRIALS
The key harness racing participant body is to push for the return of non-raceday trials, an issue that is causing industry concern.
BOTRA president Barrie Rattray said conducting trials only on race days was making life difficult for trainers, especially those that have to travel any distance.
"They don't want to run traditional trials and that's something we're addressing at the moment," Rattray said.
"Qualifying trials at the races are really good but the industry also needs regular (non-raceday) trials."
Having races and trials on the same day makes it difficult for trainers who have limited transport options to get their horses to the track.
It also means that horses trialling before the races are stuck at the track for an extended period of time.
"A two-year-old we qualified last week was at the races for eight hours," Rattray said.
"And, a lot of people are in a worse position than us because we live close by.
"For horses that have to travel from other parts of the state, it may be a 10 or 11-hour day."
Rattray said one of the reasons given for holding trials on racedays was the availability of official timing equipment used for qualifying purposes.