LAST year’s Hobart Thousand runner-up Rewind is back to his best and ready for another tilt at the state’s only Group 1 event.
Rewind ran second in last year’s Hobart Thousand when beaten in the very last stride by reigning Melbourne Cup winner Dyna Tron.
But Rewind will get his chance to go one better next month and given his recent form he is again being touted as the state’s best chance of keeping the lion’s share of the prize money in Tasmania.
In Hobart last night (Thursday) Rewind scored an emphatic win in a heat of the Betfair Gold Cup, stopping the clock at 26.02 that was the quickest of the five heat winners of the 461-metre trip.
He flew the lids and went on to defeat Place Your Bet by 5-1/2 lengths with Sonorous over three lengths away third.
To say rewind was in good form would be an understatement as this was his eighth win in succession and he has been beginning brilliantly of late.
Trainer Morris Strickland said the dog had a couple of small niggling issues he had to contend with earlier this year but those al well behind the son of Collide-Ricky’s Angel.
“The dog has been injury free for a while and I have been careful not to over race him,” Strickland said.
“He’s plodding along alright and if I can keep him in the same frame of mind as he’s in now and keep him injury free then we’ll be on target for another crack at the Hobart Thousand,” he said.
Strickland will take a three-pronged attack into the Hobart Thousand as he also has Sir Slayter and Bubble Gump tuning up for the Group 1 race series.
Sir Slayter ran second to Captain Cosmic in a heat of the Gold Cup last Thursday night and his form against similar opposition of late has been good enough to suggest he will be competitive in the Hobart Thousand series.
In last week’s heat Captain Cosmic began fairly from box eight but had enough speed to be outside the leaders near the home turn and he crossed to the rail upon straightening for the run home.
Captain Cosmic sped clear but Slayter was doing his best work a the business end of proceedings.
While Strickland is happy to have two representatives in the Gold Cup final he is concerned that Sir Slayter (7) has drawn outside Rewind (6).
“Sir Slater can begin well and if he does he has a tendency to want to get to the rail and that might be a problem for Rewind if he doesn’t jump as quick,” Strickland said.
The Ted Medhurst-trained November Digger made his way into the Gold Cup final with a convincing heat win in a time of 26.27.
November Digger has been racing in top form and all of his 11 career wins have been on the Hobart track.
He has a personal best of 26 seconds even but would probably need to better that if he is to be competitive in the Hobart Thousand series.
Custodian, prepared by Steve O’Brien, was impressive in winning his Gold Cup heat.
The dog began well from box four and after a stoush with Bees Knees and Shanlyn Peanut he had the rail by the time they reached the 340-metre boxes.
He moved clear and held his rivals at bay over the concluding stages to hit the line almost two lengths clear of Bees Knees with Silent Giggle over five lengths away third.
Margaret Rossendell’s speedster Franklin Bluboy made the most of the inside box to score a convincing win in his Gold Cup heat.
Franklin Bluboy began with them but he was able to hold sway courtesy of the rail and he went on to score by two lengths from the fast-finishing Martello Towers with Penny’s Angel a close-up third.
The final is made up of the five heat winners and the three fastest seconds.
Captain Cosmic fares well at the box draw scoring the coveted red vest while Custodian will stat alongside in box two.
November Digger is well served in box three but Franklin Bluboy will have to contend with box four.
rewind will wear the green vest with his kennel mate Sir Slayter alongside in box seven while Place Your Bet has drawn the squeeze box (5).
Bees Knees that ran second to Custodian from box one that was an ideal draw for him but he has to contend with the outside box in the final.