In Brief
- Capacity field for first 2YO race of the season.
- Lacerate the fastest trial winner suggests he will be competitive.
- Hobart meeting live-streamed with Matt Reid to host.
The first two-year-old race of the season will be run and won in Hobart on Sunday and while it is not the feature race on the eight-event card, it is the one that will attract the greatest amount of interest.
The race has attracted a capacity field of 10 with three emergencies, all of them having been to the trials at least once.
Launceston played host to five two-year-old trials on 29 October and every winner is engaged on Sunday and they are likely to battle it out for favouritism.
The Rowan Hamer-trained Lacerate (Charge Forward-Maisie Lou) clocked the fastest time of the five trial winners over 800 metres (47.69).
Lacerate scored by a neck from the Graeme McCulloch-trained Wheeling that had a touch of shin soreness after the trial, so he has been saved for better races later in the season.
The Cameron Thompson-trained Coeur De Lyon (Lionhearted-Guyra Gal) impressed in winning his trial in a time of 48.14 seconds and would only need to take that form into the race to be very competitive.
Novice trainer Patrick Dargan prepares Fighting Styx (Fighting Sun-River Styx) impressed in winning her trial in Launceston, scoring by two lengths from Turk Warrior that was not fully extended by rider Ismail Toker.
Alpine Blast (Alpine Eagle-Rose of Woorim) suffered a mishap at the start in his trial in Launceston, so trainer John Blacker gave him another chance in a trial at Longford this week that he won impressively.
“Missing the start in the trial forced us to trial again at Longford, so if he remains in good order he will start on Sunday,” Blacker said.
Geegee Lucky Jess is one of three Wordsmith youngsters to make it into the field and she may not have run a quick time in winning her Launceston trial, but she was one of the most impressive, being eased down over the final 100 metres to win easily.
Her trainer Stuart Gandy said after the trial win that he expected her to be a serious contender in some of the better juvenile races this season.
The two other Wordsmith youngsters in the field are Gee Gee Otherwords (Wordsmith-Gee Gee’s La Quita) and Gee Gees Fifth Test (Wordsmith-Gee Gees Firstover) that both finished third in their respective Launceston trials.
The 2YO Maiden (900m) is race two on the card.
The first race is scheduled to start at 13:25 with the last of eight at 17:30.
TasracingTV will live stream the meeting and Matt Reid will host the coverage and the races will also be broadcast on Sky Racing 1.
Watch Lacerate win his trial in Launceston on October 29.