Tasracing

Premier Tasmanian trainer Scott Brunton takes a strong team to Devonport on Sunday with a few likely to start warm favourites.

Brunton also is hoping one of his stable stars, Mandela Effect, can return to winning form interstate where he lines up in the Group 1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes over 1400m at Caulfield on Saturday.

Mandela Effect will wear blinkers for the first time and coupled with a good barrier (2) Brunton is quietly confident the gelding can emerge triumphant.

In Devonport on Sunday he has two top chances in the opening race, an open handicap over 1150m in Ruettiger and Fragment with the latter likely to open favourite.

Fragment won in Hobart three starts back on 5 July, scoring impressively from Shady Hustle and Ruettiger over 1400m and he was second at his subsequent outing at the same venue over 1200m.

At his most recent start he was fourth in an open handicap in Devonport over 1350m seven weeks ago, so he has been freshened up for this assignment over the shorter trip.

Ruettiger wins first up in the state (Craig Newitt) in a BM82 in Sept 2019.

Ruettiger is five starts without a win, but he will be suited by the 1150 metres with seven of his eight career wins over the journey.

The most interesting of Brunton’s runners is his dethroned Tasmanian Derby winner Vamos Raffa that will be out to finally shrug off his maiden status in race four.

Vamos Raffa won the Tasmanian Derby as a maiden but a pre-race swab revealed the presence of meloxicam, a common anti-inflammatory treatment for horses.

The reserve sample tested negative, but the horse was still disqualified from winning the Derby and Brunton was fined $13,500 for the infringement to the rules.

As Brunton was also a 10 per cent shareholder he also had to forego his share of the $90,000 prizemoney and a 10% training fee, so all-up it was a loss of $31,500.

Vamos Raffa also finished fifth in the Launceston Cup, so given his past two efforts, a 1350-metre maiden in Devonport looks a very gettable race for the four-year-old.

Sky Fox represents the stable in the 1350-metre class three (race 5). It will be the gelding’s first start for four months and he has won first-up, but his record shows he is better second up from a spell.

Brunton saddles up With No Name and Odin’s Folly in the maiden/class one over 1650m (race 6) with the best guide being jockey David Pires opting to ride Odin’s Folly as he is the stable’s number one rider.

His gallant grey Ivoryman lines up in the benchmark 66 handicap over 1150m (race 7) at what will be his second outing this preparation and he looks very well-placed.

Ivoryman was a game second first-up at the end of last month in a similar race, beaten a half-length by Silkstone, so he only needs to take that form into this race to be very competitive.

Watch Ivoryman finish a game second to Silkstone last start.