In Brief
- Three runners are having their first standing start race.
- Many runners come out of the FFA on 20 September.
- Race 1 on Sky Racing 2, the remainder on Sky Racing 1.
There is always a lot of questions that get answered in the Tasmanian Horse Transport Show Cup, and some will be answered in this year’s running on Sunday night in Launceston.
Many horses are having their first try behind the tapes in the 2200-metre standing start event, while some others are very early into their spring campaign and punters are still working out where those horses are at.
One horse who is having his first standing start race is progressive talent The Shallows, who had his first start in open class racing on 20 September when running an impressive second behind Call Me Hector in track-record time in Launceston, and trainer-driver Heath Woods was happy with the four-year-old gelding’s effort.
“You are never really sure how they will go till they get to that company, but I was wrapped with his time, he travelled well in the run and he ran his usual honest race, he proved he is up to that level,” said Woods about the effort.
Woods is pleased how the pacer has come through that run and is confident the gelding has good standing start manners after qualifying for standing start races in a Hobart trial back in February.
“He is good at home and in the trial, he was safe, he didn’t ping away, but I didn’t want to rev him up, he is a good pacer and I expect him to be alright,” explained the trainer-driver.
One of his main dangers is Lip Reader who will start from the front mark.
The Rohan Hillier-trained and driven pacer is also having his first standing start race and goes into the event after finishing third behind Call Me Hector and The Shallows last start, where he recorded the fastest individual last half mile on the Tasracing Calculated sectionals since they were recorded in December 2015.
Scooterwillrev won in Hobart last start and the handicapper has allocated him 10 metres and he shares that mark with 2018 Show Cup winner Full Speed Ahead and last year’s Tasmania Cup winner Shelby Bromac.
Izaha is first-up since early February and hasn’t been seen in any recent trials. Lachlan Dakin will drive the pacer for Longford trainer Todd Rattray.
The five-year-old entires last win was from a 30-metre handicap in Devonport three starts ago and he will start from a 20-metre handicap in Sunday’s race inside multiple track record holder Call Me Hector.
The sole 30-metre handicapped runner is multiple Group 1 winner Ignatius who is having his second start back in Tasmania after a last start fourth.
The Show Cup is race five on a nine-race card and is set down to be run at 19:33, with the opening race at 17:36.
Watch Call Me Hector defeat a number of his rivals in Launceston on 20 September.