TASMANIAN harness racing fans will be flocking to Tattersall’s Park in Hobart tomorrow night (Wednesday) for the return to racing of last season’s boom three-year-old Gedlee.
The Phil Rawnsley-trained gelding resumes racing in a C2 pace over 1609 metres in which he is expected to deliver a brilliant first-up effort.
Gedlee was voted Tasmania’s best pacer as well as earning the title of best three-year-old last season.
Rawnsley spelled the gelded son of Time Stands Still a weeks after he won the $30,000 Globe Derby final in Launceston in June.
He spent over two months on the rich spring grass at Lachlan in the Derwent Valley and goes into tomorrow night’s race having done about 11 weeks solid work.
“I have been more than pleased with how this horse has progressed since he came back into work,” Rawnsley said.
“His trials have been good so everything points to him being ready for his first-up assignment,” he said.
Gedlee has drawn gate six over the 1609m trip and with a history of not being the quickest beginner, driver Rodney Ashwood may have to go back early or push on and dictate the race from outside of the leader.
Rawnsley said last month that the Raider Stakes (4YO sires stakes) was Gedlee’s main mission this season but he admitted today that the Group 1 $100,000 Tasmania Cup also was on the radar.
Listen to what trainer Phil Rawnsley had to say about Gedlee – click here.