Tasmania's leading owners to make three-pronged attack on main race at Mowbray

Gee Gee Double Dee, Gee Gee True Story and Gee Gee Queen Bee are all raced by Paul and Elizabeth Geard, with Wells having the first two in his Brighton stable.

He believes Gee Gee Double Dee is the class runner of the Benchmark 84 field.

"She's had a little break but she is going well," he said.

"She had a jump-out at Elwick the other day and went nicely.

"Brendon McCoull goes on and she'll be very hard to beat."

Wells said there appeared to be a lot of pace in the race which would suit Gee Gee True Story.

"He's got to be ridden back and allowed to hit the line and, if that happens, he also will be hard to beat," the trainer said.

The other Geard runner, Gee Gee Queen Bee, is trained at Brighton by Stuart Gandy and, although up in class on her recent runs, has been racing well since returning from a spell.

In a very tricky, little race, another Brighton-trained runner, Apriano from the John Luttrell stable, looks the leader and, with 51kg after the claim for Codi Jordan, could take catching.

Topweight Balearic goes up 5kg on his last-start second to Gee Gee Secondover at Mowbray on Cup Day but if he reproduces that run will be hard to hold out.

The Wells team also has two runners in the 3YO Maiden, with Hot Cat, a winner of two trials, and Silent Dreamer both in the care of Dean and Trent at Spreyton.

"Hot Cat has been a bit of a problem child but they've got her going really well," Leon said.

"She's drawn horrible but could run some sort of race and sneak into a place or the first-four.

"Silent Dreamer has drawn a lot better so he goes in with a lot better chance, unless Hot Cat has a lot of luck.

"Hopefully, they both run forward races."

Wynburn Sheean's bid for the Shepparton Cup was short-lived.

The star Wynyard greyhound began well from box 3 in Monday night's third heat and had just found the front when he was poleaxed by eventual winner Catch The Thief as that dog crossed to the rail from box 7.

Wynburn Sheean lost all chance and could only follow the field around, finishing in sixth place beaten just on 10 lengths.

Trainer Ben Englund now has a few options coming up both interstate and at home, including the Illingworth Classic which has a $16,000-to-the-winner final in Launceston on April 26.

Former New South Wales chief thoroughbred steward Ray Murrihy will take charge of the Tasmania Cup inquiry.

Acting Racing Director Tony Latham announced on Tuesday that Murrihy had been appointed to lead the investigation.

He said the Office Of Racing Integrity had acted under AHRR 181 which states in part - "Stewards may conduct inquiries or investigations in such a manner as they think fit into any occurrence or matter arising from a race."

Under that rule, they are entitled to bring in an 'outside' expert to hear the case.

Murrihy is the most respected ex-steward in the country and was the chief harness steward in Tasmania for a short period about 40 years ago.

He will be tasked with deciding whether the Tasmania Cup result should stand or the winner Bullys Delight should be disqualified or relegated due to his driver Rhys Nicholson's whip and hocking offences.

The Tasmania Cup case highlights an inconsistency in the rules. Or at least in the way they are interpretted.

If, as stewards say, excessive whip use and hocking cannot be grounds for altering the result of a race for betting purposes (ie upholding a protest), how can they be grounds for altering the result of a race for prizemoney purposes?

Surely what is good for the goose, is good for the gander.

Why is it that it's only the losing punter who has no comeback when these rules are breached?

That's not to say owners and trainers should not have the right to seek recompense if they believe an illegal act has robbed them of their rightful finishing position and, therefore, rightful stakemoney.

But the rules should protect everyone - including those that, at the end of the day, fund the industry.