HOBBY owner-trainer Ian Geard took a chance in a claiming race last season when he handed over $5000 for Die Laughing five-year-old gelding Ulittledevil.
Ulittledevil was spelled soon after being claimed and resumed with a lacklustre performance in Launceston but his form improved and in Hobart last Sunday night he delivered the goods with a solid win on a standing start claiming race over 2090 metres.
It was a game win and made possible by a patient drive from novice reinsman Justin Howlett who waited until the home straight before calling on his charge for the supreme effort.
Geard had intentions of training Ulittledevil but business commitments put a spanner in thew works and he turned to trainer Chris Howlett to fill that role.
“Ian (Geard) is a friend who coached by sons football team and when he said he was unable to put the time in on Ulittledevil I said I’d jog him up and get him ready until he can see his way clear to training him,” Howlett said.
“Ian’s workload increased so the horse is still with me and has been for abut four months and he’s been making gradual improvement at the races.”
“The horse has been struggling with standing starts but he’s improving all the time ands hopefully he can become adept at stands which will give Ian more options with him later on,” he said.
The trainer agreed that his son was also showing improvement in the sulky.
“Justin is becoming quite a good driver and he showed that tonight the way he waited, with the knowledge that the horse hasn’t been finishing his races off all that well this prep,” he said.
Howlett is eagerly awaiting the Australian debut of former New Zealand gelding Southern Boy that arrived in his stables recently.
Southern Boy (Live Or Die-Andoi’s Prospect) is a C5 rated gelding that won in New Zealand eight starts back. When his form waned Howlett’s father-in-law Paul Geard acquired the gelding through his brother-in-law Bob McArdle.