A lesson learned at the start of his training career has convinced Bill Ryan to hold fire on racing his in-form mare Take The Sit in Melbourne.
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Instead, he will send the four-year-old to the paddock following three successive wins and potentially look at an interstate trip later in the year.
"She's been in work since December and had seven runs," Ryan said.
"One thing I learned early on is that you don't go to Melbourne at the end of your preparation - it's a recipe for disaster.
"I remember in my first year as a trainer when I won the Tasmanian Oaks with Rachael's Girl her owners wanted to send her to Melbourne.
"I thought she needed a spell but they were keen to go so she went over and I think from memory ran last. It just doesn't work."
After winning on protest at Mowbray three starts ago, Take The Sit was super impressive scoring over 1400m at Elwick on May 2.
She then dropped back in distance to beat a smart field over 1200m at the same track on Sunday.
"It was asking a bit but I freshened her right up," Ryan said.
"My main concern was that Galenus was in the field.
"He didn't fire on the day which would have helped but, the way she won, he would've needed to have been right on his game to beat her."
Ryan said there was still "room for improvement" in Take The Sit and she should get more ground.
"She is bred to get further," he said. "We tried her once over 1600m and she didn't fire but there were reasons so I'm discounting that."
Take The Sit is out of the handy Tasmanian mare Tula who won five races up to 1550m and ran fifth to Lady Lynette in the Vamos Stakes.
She is by Tough Speed who has sired many good stayers headed by Mornington, Warrnambool and Pakenham Cup winner Banca Mo and, more recently, Speed Force and White Hawk.
Ryan paid $15,000 for Take The Sit at the Tasmanian sale the same day he bought Still A Star.
INEVITABLE TAKES ANOTHER STEP
Top galloper The Inevitable continued along the comeback trail with a narrow trial win in the fastest time of morning at Longford on Tuesday.
The five-year-old sat outside speedy filly Entrapped before edging to the lead just before the post under strong hands-and-heels riding from Siggy Carr.
It was his second trial since returning from injury, also winning narrowly at Elwick a fortnight ago.
The winner of eight races and $740,000 hasn't raced since mid-October. He was later diagnosed with palmar osteochondral disease - bruising at the lower ends of the cannon bone.
SASSY, BURNER FASTEST QUALIFIERS
Punters were on the ball at Tuesday's Devonport greyhound meeting where heats of the Country Oaks and Country Derby were all won be well-backed runners.
Favourites Sassy Galaxy (Paul Hili) and Russia With Love (Allan Clark) easily won the Oaks heats in 25.84 and 26.01 respectively.
The Derby heats went to favourite Brindle Burner (Scott Bryan) and second favourites All About Monty (Blake Pursell) and Over The Anvil (Ted Medhurst).
Brindle Burner recorded 25.68 while All About Monty and Over The Anvil, who was having his first start on the track, both went 25.73.
Draws for next week's finals, worth $5265 to the winners, are -
OAKS: Always Baroque, Buckle Up Miri, Russia With Love, Buckle Up Aislin, Nitro Ash, Roy's Rocket, Buckle Up Kenzie, Sassy Galaxy.
DERBY: All About Monty, Hey Dougie, Over The Anvil, Theo Dragonet, My Bro Joe, Just Rambling, Freddie Fox Trot, Brindle Burner.
YOLE DOMINANCE QUESTIONED
Respected harness commentator Gareth Hall has questioned the health of Tasmanian harness racing after leading trainer Ben Yole had every runner in the last two races in Hobart on Friday night.
"That's a concern for mine if you've got two fields with just one trainer," Hall said on his RSN radio program.
"When talking to Tassie, there's something not quite right there.
"And, I'm not bagging the Yoles - they're doing what they're doing."
Hall said that although the big stables occasionally dominated fields in some other states, it wasn't to the same extent.
"If we get the facts in front of us, it wouldn't be a contest," he said.