Tasracing

Tasmanian harness racing’s pinup pacer Ryley Major and rising star The Shallows both continued on their winning ways at Ladbrokes Park Hobart last night.

The Shallows (pictured) will take winning form into the upcoming Autumn Carnival and the Heath Woods trained and driven pacer scored an effortless win in the Tasmanian Equine Veterinary Services Pace at odds of $1.26.

From outside of the second row in the 2090 metre event, Woods settled the pacer one-out and five-back before racing three-wide and two-back for the final 1100 metres of the race.

Being well back down the back straight many may have thought the short price favourite was in a bit of trouble but just like he did two starts prior, he motored home down the outside to win by an ever increasing 9.7 metres in the rating 65 to 74 event.

“Turning in to the back straight I was a fair way back and thought I may have been in a bit of strife, I was just waiting for Ricky Duggan (driver of Jetcraft) to go in front of me … around the home turn I thought I was going to be close enough,” said trainer-driver Heath Woods after the race.

Woods will resist the temptation to throw the pacer into the deep end of contesting the upcoming Tasmania Cup series.

“We will try and find the easier race that we can … he has only been racing for 13 months,” said Woods.

Woods started his career in the industry in the mid-1990s before taking a break from the sport in 2007, The Shallows is the first horse he has trained since he returned to the industry in January last year after his son Aaron showed interest in getting another horse.

The win was the pacers eighth win in a row and was his ninth of his 18th racetrack appearance,

Another pacer to continue on their winning way is that of our star pacer Ryley Major who registered his eleventh win in a row when he scored in the $12,000 Triple M Hobart Metropolitan Cup.

Ryley Major defeats Call Me Hector to win the Triple M Metropolitan Cup in Hobart on 16 February

Starting outside of the front row in the 2579 metre event, trainer-driver Rohan Hillier eased the $1.08 favourite back to the tail before easing the pacer out at the mile mark to race outside Call Me Hector, the only other runner in the race to start under $31.00.

After a 62.8s first half of the final mile, driver Matthew Cooper on Call Me Hector put the foot to the floor down the back straight in a 27.8s third quarter before Ryley Major took control in a 28.9s last section.

Ryley Major only returned to the track in March last year after a 982-day break due to injury and has continued to take all before him and he will lead a strong Tasmanian brigade into the Tasmanian Autumn Carnival with the Group 2 Tasmania Pacing Cup being his first target of the carnival.

The gelded son of Art Major will have to start from a 30-metre handicap in that series where Hillier will have to qualify the pacer through a heat either on 1 or 8 March ahead of the $75,000 Final on 14 March.

Hillier drove a double on the Hobart cart when he scored on A Spanish Dance in the final race of the night which was his 700th career win.

Another driver to register a milestone on the card was Troy McDonald who notched up his 100th career win in the Roberts Sprint Lane Pace.

Soho Senna (Hannah Van Dongen) wins race 4 in Hobart on 16 February

But it was the girls that dominated the driving ranks last night with Samantha Gangell scoring on Southern Gnp at odds of $21.00, Hannah Van Dongen guiding Soho Senna to victory while Taylor Ford drove The Thug to victory later in the night.

The three wins by female drivers put an extra $600 in the kitty for the “Team Teal” promotion with the Tasmanian total sitting now at $1,200 after five meetings.