Harness racing this Sunday night returns to UBET Racing Centre where the Launceston Pacing Club will stage a nine event program. The feature race of the evening is the $10,000 Premiers’ Blue Bonnet for two year old fillies. The Paul Hill trained Chica Bella looks to have a mortgage on the race having won her last four starts including the $20,000 Sweepstakes heat and final in Hobart recently. Her main rival looks to be the polemarker Shadow Blue who has finished second to her at her only two starts. The field also includes last start winners in Itz Gemmas Delight and Tanamay.
The fifth and sixth heats of the 6tyo Youngbloods Challenge will decide the winner of the series. The lightly raced Tiz A Jamane, who began badly at Devonport in a heat last Monday night, looks hard to beat. Other chances are the impression last start winner Fire Up Franco and the improving Playstationking. The sixth heat should go to the impressive last start winner Chirac, who has to overcome a wide barrier draw. Two starts back he finished second to Resurgent Spirit in the final of the Raider Stakes. He should relish the drop in class. Other chances are the polemarker Fletcher’sKnight, the lightly raced Kamili and the last start winner Bona Fide Hustler.
Friday night at Melton (Victoria) will see the return to racing of Tasmania’s best mare Barynya, in the $17,500 Eynesbury Golf Club Pace for M1/M2 pacers. Barynya has drawn barrier one so should take a lot of beating for trainer Dick Eaves and driver Gavin Lang. Another Tasmanian, The Family Guy, lines up in a heat of the Empire Stallions Vicbred Championships. Going on his 1:55.5 win at Bendigo last week, when he was having his first Victorian start, he should take some beating. The other runner at the meeting that has a Tasmanian flavour is Livin It Lovin It in the claiming race. This eight year old, much travelled gelding struggled to win one of his twenty Tasmanian starts, but since going to Victoria has recorded a second and four wins from his five starts. Livin It Lovin It is part owned by Tasmanian trainer Ben Yole.
By Peter Cooley