TASMANIA has been waiting a while to found another genuine Group 1 pacer but at Tattersall’s Park in Hobart tonight the wait could be over at about 9.30pm.
The Phil Rawnsley-trained Gedlee has emerged this season as potentially the best pacer the state has produced since Halyer that was a champion three and four-year-old and contested two Inter Dominion series’.
Gedlee was a class two race in Hobart before heading to Launceston last Sunday night where he won the City Of Launceston Cup to earn ballot-free entry into to tonight’s $100,000 Group 1 Tasmania Cup over 2579 metres.
The four-year-old stallion gave his rivals a pacing lesson in the Launceston Cup by leading all the way and went on to defeat the Brian Hancock-trained Vegas Bound by over five metres.
While tonight’s assignment is clearly Gedlee’s biggest test, he has drawn well in gate two with interstate invaders Our Chain Of Commands (1) and Vegas Bound (3) either side.
Tactics always plays a major role in Group 1 events and tonight’s race will be no exception.
Gedlee’s trainer Phil, Rawnsley said his role is getting the horse to the racetrack in the best possible condition and the driving tactics is left to his son Sam Rawnsley.
“Sam is the driver so he will have to map out a plan and I’m sure whatever he decides will be right,” the trainer said.
The other features on the 11-race card are the $30,000 George Johnson for mares in which the Peter Manning-trained Mendelico should be very hard to beat.
The Eric Reece Memorial final is always a keenly contested event and tonight’s version should be no exception with heat winners Innasbrook and Thirtysixtoes likely to play a dominant role at the business end of proceedings.
The Tasmanian Guineas for three-year-olds has attracted a strong field and there also will be two heats of the Hobart Pacing Cup.