Experienced trainer Leon Wells seldom gets carried away with the prospects of lightly-raced horses but he doesn't try to hide his enthusiasm for rising star Rebel Factor.
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"He's a bloody good horse," Wells said after the five-year-old gelding made it four wins from six starts in the Orion Security Protection Handicap at Spreyton on Sunday.
"That was a real nice win - the way he worked on Wednesday we thought he was unbeatable barring accidents.
"He's certainly got a lot of upside."
Wells, who trains in partnership with sons Dean and Trent, said Rebel Factor would be given time to work through the classes.
He won Sunday's benchmark 76 race as a benchmark 68 horse so can stay in that grade for several more runs.
"He can win a couple more and the way he's going I can't see why he won't," the trainer said.
"Then we can probably go to the Newmarket (at Mowbray on November 30)."
Wells said that although he would have preferred to keep Rebel Factor to 1150m for his second-up run, there was no suitable race available.
"He ran out the 1350m very strongly - in fact, Siggy (Carr) hadn't let him go half way up the straight," the trainer said.
"Later on, I can't see why he won't get a mile."
Rebel Factor, backed from $2.30 to $1.45, scored by 2-1/4 lengths from Gee Gee Plane who was a short half head in front of Ring Of Honour.
HALF BROTHER SETS TONE FOR THE DAY
Earlier in the day, punters saw a preview of what was to come when Rebel Factor's half brother Cornelian Bay scored an impressive debut win the Ladbrokes 3YO Maiden.
Although he didn't have the easiest of runs, the Leanne Gaffney-trained gelding drew clear to beat another first-starter, Sakura Hime, by two lengths with Miss Vivace 3/4 length away third.
While Rebel Factor's owner-breeders Chris and Sharon Wickham kept him to race themselves, they sold Cornelian Bay for $40,000 at the 2021 Tasmanian Magic Millions sale.
He was bought by Gaffney who now prepares him for a 14-member syndicate.
His win gave David Pires the first leg of a double which he completed on the Rowan Hamer-trained Eight Margaritas.
Mahmet Ulucinar also had two wins on Tiltherewarsyou for Liandra Gray and Feisty Lion for Graeme McCulloch.
HOBART TROTS OFF UNTIL TUESDAY
The Hobart harness meeting scheduled for Sunday night was postponed due to the state of the track and forecast further heavy rain.
It has been rescheduled for Tuesday night with the same fields but scratchings have been reinstated.
KOSIMO'S RICHEST WIN AT MELTON
Tasmanian-owned and bred Kosimo scored the richest win of his career in the $20,000 Allstate Group Pace at Melton on Saturday night.
The five-year-old drew the pole and settled behind the leader before using the sprint lane to score by 1-1/2m from outsiders Soextra and Ozzie Playboy. He rated a slick 1:53.3 for 1720m.
Owned by Exeter trainer Mark Jones, Kosimo was having his ninth start since transferring to Julie Douglas in Victoria and was driven by her brother-in-law Daryl.
Kosimo has now won seven of his 40 starts and is closing in on $100,000 in stakes.
He also won a race at Bendigo during a previous Victorian visit in 2020 while Tasmanian racing was shut down.
TASSIE HORSE WINS KATHERINE CUP
Tasmanian-owned galloper Vallabar broke through for his first win in the Northern Territory in Saturday's $25,000 Katherine Cup.
Raced by prominent Waterhouse owner-breeder Mandy Gunn, Vallabar followed up his good third in the $200,000 Darwin Cup earlier this month with an easy 2-3/4 length win as the $2.20 favourite.
The gelding won seven of his 24 starts for Scott Brunton before transferring to leading Darwin trainer Gary Clarke for his NT campaign.
MULTI-PRONGED BID FOR NATIONALS
Tasmanian connections will be involved with four runners at the $75,000-to-the-winner National Sprint and Distance Championship finals at Wentworth Park in Sydney on Saturday week.
The state's official representatives McInerney and Highland Wonder will be joined by Tasmanian-owned Tsar Bell, who won the West Australian distance final, and Victorian distance final winner Moraine Suzie who is prepared by former Tasmanian Brendan Pursell.
Pursell's son Brendan trains McInerney who made a one-act affair of the Tasmanian sprint final in Launceston on Thursday night, scoring by more than five lengths.
McInerney has drawn perfectly in box 8 for the national final and has firmed from $12 to $10 in the TAB's early fixed-odds market.
Tsar Bell is raced by Eileen Thomas of Invermay and trained by former Tasmanian Adam Smithson.
After being purchased in Victoria, the dog won three distance races at Devonport for Thomas before being sent to WA where he's won six races since June.
Moraine Suzie has won her past four starts in Melbourne, from 595m to 730m, and is $6.00 to win national final with Tsar Bell at $8.00.
The David Crosswell-trained Highland Wonder led all the way in the state distance final but his narrow win didn't impress the bookies and he is 100-1 to take the national title.
Draws for national finals -
SPRINT: Simply Limelight (NSW), Dusty Bourbski (Vic), Good Odds Cash (wildcard), Throttle (WA), Fly For Trix (SA), Magical Cyndie (Qld), Opawa Superstar (NZ), McInerney (Tas).
DISTANCE: Tsar Bell (WA), Know Keeper (NZ), Gypsy Wyong (wildcard), Super Estrella (NSW), Highland Wonder (Tas), Days Of Thunder (Qld), Moraine Suzie (Vic), Fantastic Radley (SA).