Tasracing

Dysart trainer Michael Pearce is expecting a forward showing from his talented bitch Magic Lea when she lines up in the Noel Vince Memorial Best Eight in Hobart on Thursday night over 461 metres.

The bitch appeared to be disappointing in her last two outings last preparation where a blood test revealed the bitch was suffering from a liver infection and the trainer has been happy with her two runs back, after being nursed back to the track by Pearce and his family who are a large part of his kennel.

“I think she is back to her brilliant best, I think she is a better bitch than people give her credit for,” said Pearce.

Magic Lea (Magic Sprite – Zhivago Dancer) won first-up in Hobart over the 340-metre trip on 10 September in a slick 19.45s from box four which was a surprise.

“I was surprised when she went 19.45s over the short because that’s not her caper and when she run that time I thought she was back to where should be and she has never won by big margins and that was a bit of a shock as well,” said the Dysart-based trainer about the four-length win.

Last week the talented bitch was rundown late by Kintyre who is one of her rivals on Thursday by a neck where she covered the 461 metres in 26.96s with Pearce believing that she was a run underdone on that occasion.

Magic Lea hasn’t had a lot of luck with the box draws throughout her career and that is the case again on Thursday night where she has drawn box four.

“If she can get a crack at them early and they don’t run her up the track I think she is a chance, I’m not saying she can beat Siberia because he is a good dog, I’m intrigued to see what she does but box four makes it hard,” said Pearce ahead of the race.

Thursday night’s race is a quality field with Fabulous Baroque (Box 3) and Amy Cora (Box 8) also engaged.

Magic Lea will also contest a Grade 5 race in Launceston on Monday night.

She was nominated for the heats of the Tasmanian Oaks heats on Monday night; however, the heats were deleted and there has been no public release of what dogs will make the final or if there are sufficient nominations for a final of the Oaks.

Lola Lee is another runner form the Pearce kennel going around on Thursday night in the sixth race, the Vale Ann Cameron Grade 5 over the 461 metres.

“She has drawn the wrong side of the track, she needs to be wide where she can whip around them, she is not a great beginner and drawn the inside is not where you want to draw when you are not a good beginner,” said Pearce.

“I’m not saying she can’t win but it is going to be hard,” added the trainer who has only had two runners not take home a cheque this month from eight starters with two winners and four placings.

Thursday night’s Hobart card commences at 19:19.

Watch Magic Lea run second in Hobart on 17 September.