WHEN harness racing trainer-driver Tim Maine embarked on a holiday to New Zealand with good friend and prominent harness owner Michael Fileul about four years ago he visited a yearling sale and watched with interest as Fileul meticulously went about buying a handful of pacers.
One of the youngsters purchased by Fileul never made the grade when tried in Victoria so he eventually made his way to Maine’s stables at Harford in the Northern region of Tasmania.
Last Sunday night at Tattersall’s Park in Hobart that former juvenile Franco Tarquin finally delivered the goods at age five.
It was a brilliant win with the gelding coming from well back in the back straight to rattle home out wide to score from Kennys Place and Our Gypsy Rose in a CV) over 2090 metres.
Franco Tarquin was buried three-back the fence for most of the race and it wasn’t until the field neared the home turn that Maine was able to extricate the gelding from the rail to make ground.
Franco Tarquin was the widest runner in the straight but he finished so fast he had a long neck to spare over Kennys Place that was still two lengths clear 50 metres from the line.
Maine was thrilled with the win: “It’s been a log time coming but we were always aware that he might not start to show any sort of good form until he turned five,” Maine said.
It was a great night for Maine who took two to the meeting and ended up with a double.
The Musics Over caused a an upset in the final race on the nine-event card leading all the way to score comfortably from Capricorn Cruiser and The Jouster.
The Musics Over had won in Launceston two starts prior from a standing start and despite being in a similar class race and under the same conditions punters sent him around the $19.40 second longest priced runner in a small field of seven.
The only down side to the night for Maine was the stewards fining him $200 for allowing The Musics Over to run slow sectionals in the first half of the race.
Listen to what trainer-driver Tim Maine had to say about Franco Tarquin’s first win – click here.