MUCH improved harness racing pacer Ductape delivered a career best performance to take out the Allen Williams memorial final over 2297 metres at Devonport last night.
Ductape was coming off an impressive first-up win in Hobart in a heat of the Allen Williams Memorial series that comprised six heats with each heat winner and the four fastest seconds qualifying for the final.
It was a masterful drive from talented novice driver Matthew Howlett who was prepared to allow the colt to settle at the rear of the field while the lead changed hands a few times.
Ductape ($3.50) came with a barnstorming finish to score by almost five metres from God Sake ($12.70) with the $3.30 favourite Coccinella 1-1/2 metres away third.
The Ben Rossendell-trained three-year-old colt produced multiple minor placings as a two-year-old that included a couple of top efforts behind class opposition.
But this time in the colt has produced outstanding efforts to suggest he might be competitive in some of the better quality three-year-old races later this season.
Ductape is raced by the trainer in partnership with Craig White and Stuart Van Driezum who also bred the colt who is by Suter Hanover from Elsunola Babe.
“He didn’t win as a two-year-old but he was in some very tough races and that was good experience,” White said.
“Hopefully we’ll reap the benefits of that this season and so far it’s been good.”