Promising sprinter Julius didn't live up to the early expectations of his connections but is fast making up for lost time.
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He completed a winning hat-trick and gave trainer Barry Campbell four wins for the day with a dominant performance in the Benchmark 76 Handicap (1150m) at Spreyton on Sunday.
Star Thoroughbreds owner Denise Martin paid $77,500 for Julius at the 2018 Tasmanian Magic Millions Yearling Sale - the same year that she paid $61,000 for top mare Deroche.
At the time, the son of Time For War was the most expensive horse she had purchased in Tasmania.
Martin was to explain later that Brett Howard from Randwick Bloodstock, who was assisting her at the sale, had identified the colt as a likely two-year-old winner.
"But as a late yearling and early two-year-old he was quite immature and quite backward," she said.
"(As a result) he didn't produce on the track the level of talent that we thought he might when we bought him."
Julius didn't race at two and it wasn't until the last month of his three-year-old season that he made a winning debut at Spreyton for then trainer Leanne Gaffney.
The gelding won another two races for Gaffney before a long layoff and a switch to the Campbell stable.
He has now won six of his 11 starts, none more impressively that his latest by more than three lengths from the fast-finishing Lesnar and Dark Wanderer.
It was the middle pin of a treble for jockey Anthony Darmanin who also scored on stablemate Zeva Royale and the Bradley Franklin-trained Tidal.
FOUR-WIN HAUL WAS PERFECT SCORE
Barry Campbell only had runners in four of the 10 races but that's all he needed to land his personal quadrella.
He opened his account with first-starter Lieutenant Lewis who scored a lucrative win in the 2YO Maiden when he held out favourite Muscle Up by a head.
The Zululand gelding's owners pocketed $15,625 in stakemoney and $16,000 as their share of the Tasbred bonus.
Zululand is also the sire of the runner-up.
Campbell's second winner was stable newcomer Fife And Drum who was transferred to him by previous trainer Siggy Carr for a change of environment.
The Clangalang gelding was bred by Carr's mother Tull Luttrell and is out of the 2011 Tasmanian Sires Produce winner Pittenweem.
Campbell's only beaten runner at the meeting, Liskamm, finished seventh in the same race.
Campbell brought up a treble when the revitalised Zeva Royale made it two wins in a row in the Class 1 Handicap before Julius rounded off a memorable day.
CODI MOVES CLEAR AS LEAN RUN ENDS
Wesley Vale-based apprentice Codi Jordan moved to a commanding lead on the jockeys' premiership with a double on Lieutenant Lewis and Misirlou.
She now has 55 wins for the season, seven ahead of Siggy Carr and nine clear of Erica Byrne Burke who did not add to their tallies.
There are only four meetings remaining.
The double ended a quiet run for the talented 24-year-old who hadn't won a race since scoring on Need A Flutter in early May.
Her win on the Glenn Stevenson-trained Misirlou landed some good bets.
The five-year-old mare opened at $8.50 on Saturday with tab.com.au and was backed in to $3.30 before starting at $4.20.
She was having her first start for Stevenson after 11 runs for Shane Nichols in Victoria where her only two placings were on the synthetic track at Ballarat.
HAMER STRIKES WITH EX-HAYES HORSE
Another former Victorian, Ring Of Honour, also was well backed before recording his first win for Rowan Hamer in the Class 3 Handicap.
The Tavistock gelding, who firmed from $9.50 to $5.00, finished strongly to beat Berruti and Gee Gee Bay Watch and complete a double for jockey David Pires.
Originally trained by David Hayes, Ring Of Honour won at Geelong, Pakenham and Sandown before finding his way to Tasmania earlier this year.
He was having only his fourth run for Hamer after a sound performance on the synthetic two starts earlier when seventh to Julius in a harder race.
Westbury owner-trainer Bradley Franklin sent quite a few punters home on a winning note when he won his second race with four-year-old mare Tidal.
Tidal opened at $15 and touched $20 before starting at $13.
She jumped in front and was never headed as she got home narrowly from the two horses that headed the market Ginny Ann ($4.80) and Vokes ($2.70 into $1.90).
Devonport has only one more meeting, on July 17, to wrap up its 2021-22 season.
JUVENILE TO HIT SWITCH IN CUP HEAT
The Launceston Greyhound Racing Club will conduct heats of the J G Nelson Cup in four divisions at Mowbray on Monday night.
One of the most interesting runners will be the unbeaten Ted Medhurst-trained Hit The Switch in division 4 for the juveniles.
His only two appearances have been in Hobart where he has won comfortably at short odds.
Small fields will contest the two division 1 heats for the top grade dogs, with in-form Man Over Board freshened for the first heat after winning the Greg Fahey over 599m in Hobart 18 days ago.
Quick Joey Small will also be coming back in distance in the second heat after racing over 720m last week.
He is likely to be giving them a big start but he has won 10 times at the track and distance.
Buckle Up Kenzie and Vintage Fame are also well in the market while Red Titan and Earning The Cash return to the circle track after doing all their recent racing in Hobart.
The four finals, worth a total of almost $20,000, will be run next Monday night, with $5015 up for grabs in division 1.