THE KEY players in the tight battle for the Tasmanian jockeys’ premiership all have good winning prospects at Devonport on Sunday.
Raquel Clark, who heads the table with 41 wins, will be on well-fancied runners Immortal Charm, Scouting Around, Quest Master, Lustica and Sentinel.
Brendon McCoull, who is second with 39 wins, has good rides on Geegees Muscle Man, Mediano, Ashalar, Seajamm and Antumbra.
David Pires, on 38 wins, could add to his tally on Demons Run, Questions, Minute Repeater, Extended Warranty and Charcol.
And Siggy Carr, who has 37 wins, should be prominent on Hard Empire, Strathalbyn, Bonbeach, Steel Moon, Savrajette and Manchero.
Horses ridden by the four leading riders have won more than $2.8 million in prizemoney in Tasmania so far this season
Smart sprinter Minute Repeater gets his chance to return to the winners’ list in the main race, the Palentino (Bm82) Handicap.
He has performed well at his two runs since a 12-month layoff and has a good record on the synthetic track where his five starts have produced two wins and two placings.
Minute Repeater’s trainer Tegan Keys broke a long run of outs when Charcol won at Mowbray last week and the former Victorian looks a good chance to score again on Sunday.
He is stepping up from a Class 1 Plate to a Benchmark 62 so it’s a significantly harder race but he looks a horse with the potential to go to a higher level.
Importantly, his only win in Victoria was on the synthetic track at Pakenham so the Tapeta surface at Spreyton should hold no fears.
The horse that Charcol beat at Mowbray, Scouting Around, gets his chance to go one better in Sunday’s Class 1 Handicap over 1350m.
The Barry Campbell-trained gelding is racing consistently but needs to get a win under his belt to shake off an unwanted tag.
There is a school of thought that Scouting Around is not 100 percent genuine so it will be a challenge for Raquel Clark to get him to do his best.
Bowling along in front, like he did at Mowbray, is probably the right tactic but he may not get his own way over the shorter trip of 1350m (back from 1600m).
Hoffsetter looks one of the better bets on the program in the 1150m Maiden after a super first-up at the same track three weeks ago.
And, Sea Ruler appeals as a good each-way bet in the Class 1 Plate after a brave run at Mowbray at only his second start in the state.