Harness Racing in Tasmania last Sunday evening was staged at Launceston where a nine event programme was held by the Launceston Pacing Club. The racing was very competitive with some fine performances recorded.
Denza Doozy was perhaps the best run of the night in the Longford Equine Clinic Pace. He raced away from his rivals over the last 400 metres to easily defeat Metro Mouse by five metres, with Timely Sovereign finishing strongly in third place. Denza Doozy covered the 1680 metres at a class record mile rate of 1:57.4, and has now won at his only two starts.
Denza Doozy is raced by his breeder Marc Panton, and was driven by trainer Rohan Hillier. Denza Doozy is a three year old bay gelding by Parson’s Den from Tantallon, a winning daughter of Time Stand Still. Tantallon has also produced the dual Group 3 winner Nola Mayhem, winner of the 2013 Bandbox Stakes and the 2014 Granny Smith Stakes. Tantallons other foal, the very fast Paris of Pisa, won two of her only three starts as a two year old.
Victorian visitor Crusader Acey made up for his first race in the state when he finished third in the Metropolitan Cup, with a win in the Mick’s Fruit and Vegie Shed Pace. Finishing fast from near the tail of the field he defeated the favourite Sapphire Swayze by a half neck, with Queen’s Advocat a nose away in third place.
Crusader Acey covered the 2200 metre journey at a 1:59.8 rate. He is trained at Westbury by Michael Laugher and was driven a well-judged race by Todd Rattray. The winner is a five year old New Zealand bred chestnut gelding by Live or Die. He has now won fifteen races from 66 starts. His previous win was six starts back at Melton in December 2015.
King Island pacer Another Ceebee won the 2,200 metres 6tyo Stakes at his fourth start since coming from the island to join the Melissa Maine training establishment at Latrobe. Another Ceebee has now won six races from seventeen starts, his previous wins were all on King Island.
In a blanket finish, Another Ceebee scored by a half neck from the fast finishing Cardinal Finn, with Art Of My Art, a head away in third place. Another Ceebee is a four year old brown gelding by Art Colony from the Safety Kept mare Dark Impressions. He was driven by Gareth Rattray and recorded a mile rate of 2:03.6.
Swap Me put up a fine performance to score in the Island Block and Paving Stakes for two year olds. Swap Me was having his second race start after a good third to Rocknroll Turbo at Mowbray in January. The long odds on favourite Solid As A Rock followed him for most of the journey, but Swap Me raced away from that pacer in the straight to win by six metres. The gelded son of Changeover and the Safety Kept mare Glenferrie Miss covered the 1680 metres at a 2:02.1 rate for trainer- reinsman Rodney Ashwood.
By Peter Cooley