In Brief
- Bookies keeping Auckland Ruby safe.
- Hafter is due for a change of luck.
- First four races to be shown on Sky Racing 1.
Punters are hoping that the Todd Rattray trained Auckland Ruby will be able to make a winning debut when she lines up in the fourth heat of the Allen Williams Memorial tonight in Burnie.
The daughter of Auckland Reactor opened up at $1.50 when markets were released last night.
Auckland Ruby has won two trials at Carrick on 25 November and 9 December in slow time with the quickest winning mile rate being 2m 10.6s.
The filly has been in the stables of Longford trainer-driver Todd Rattray for over six months with a few little issues along the way.
“I have had her about six or seven months, we have got her ready to go a couple of times but she has got a cold every time,” said Rattray.
“The trials have been ok for a race like this,” added the trainer-driver.
The Allen Willams Memorial has been a popular series over many years and the final this year will be held on 26 December in Devonport. The series can produce a handy pacer as we saw in 2017 when Dasher Houli won a heat of the series and tomorrow night he takes part in the Tassie Golden Apple, the final that year was won by Harjeet who is now racing in Sydney.
The Todd Rattray stable is represented in race five tonight with Hafter who opened up the equal favourite for the race.
Hafter has good standing start manners as we saw when he was able to lead in last season’s Burnie Cup before fading late.
The gelded son of Bettors Delight has been placed in three of his past five starts.
“He has been going ok, he just can’t get any luck,” said Rattray.
“A few inside him begin pretty good so we will just have to play it by ear early,” explained Rattray who will also take the drive.
Kuzma in race two is also from the Longford stables of Todd Rattray.
The three-year-old gelding has drawn outside of the front row and faces a tough ask.
“There’s a few inside him that fly away,” said Rattray.
With a number of races interstate being abandoned or moved to a different time slot due to the heat, Tasracing has been able to secure Sky Racing 1 Coverage of races one to four with the remainder of the card to be shown on Sky Racing 2.
Race one is scheduled to start at 17:04.
Watch Hafter finish second to Streitkid in Hobart two starts ago: