TOP Victorian trainer Dean Braun has been waiting a while to find a horse suitable to win the Eric Reece Memorial series and it looks like Franco Taima is the one to achieve the goal.
Franco Taima made his Tasmanian de but at Tattersall’s Park in Hobart on Sunday night where he had no trouble in finding the lead in a Reece Memorial heat and he went on to score by nine metres from Modern Angel with Riot Girl just over a metre away third and first-starter Loui Stuart a game fourth.
The New Zealand-bred gelding (Live Or Die-Thoroughly Franco) was having his first start back from a spell but he looked as if he had been in work for a while.
Braun purchased Franco Taima inNew Zealandlast year and after two modest performances in three-year-old events he put it all together and won three in succession before being sent to the paddock.
With the qualifying conditions for the Reece race series changed in recent times the gelded son of Live Or Die secured his berth in the series as a non-winner at four years of age.
Other Reece heat winners were Birdies Best that produced a scintillating turn of foot to haul in the leaders and go on and score convincingly over Guerrero and race leader Mahesa.
The Gary Bishop-trained Woody Beours scored a surprise win in his heat although on recent form his pole position draw would have encouraged his followers to have something each-way.
The final heat was won by another interstate invader in Clonmacnoise, a four-year-old prepared now at Bridport byTasmania’s reigning premier trainer Grant Hodges.
Clonmacnoise scored from Elsudoku and Hes No Saint.
The final will be run inHobarton December 23.
Listen to what trainer Dean Braun had to say about Franco Taima – click here.