STAR Tasmanian dog Rewind is poised to make amends for his narrrow defeat in last year’s Tattsbet Hobart Thousand final in which he went down by a nose to Dyna Tron.
Rewind is a Hobart track specialist winning his past nine on the U-bend circuit over the 461-metre trip.
While his time in winning his Hobart Thousand heat last week (26.22) was way off the best of the night set by Victorian Walk Hard (25.81), trainer Morrie Strickland would have left some improvement in his kennel star for this week’s main event.
Rewind has drawn box four in the final but the dog has won from every box and because he always begins well he should have no problem from box four. especially with two speedy beginners on his inside.
He always runs a straight line to top turn in Hobart no matter what box he draws and if he is outside the lead turning foe home he will be very hard to beat.
Walk Hard was very impressive in winning his heat in 25.81 and the dog’s trainer Nicole McRae said she expects him to improve on that in the final.
“That was only his second look at the track and he was a bit slow off the mark in his heat so if he can begin well in the final he should be hard to beat,” McRae said after he won his heat.
Walk Hard is an exciting prospect and while he is only lightly raced compared to some of the finalists he is a speed machine and from box three looms as one of the main contenders.
The dog has been installed at 11/8 favourite in some pre-post markets but better odds could be bet on the night.
Top Victorian trainer Darren McDonald knows what it takes to win a Hobart Thousand having been successful two years ago with Proven Octane and he has Under Threat into this year’s final.
Under Threat produced a serious performance to win his heat and with a time of 26.21 to his credit at what was only his second look at the track he looms as a genuine each-way prospect.
Recent Ballarat Cup winner Maverick Tiger also has good box manners but he will need to deliver a brilliant beginning if he is to be a contender from box seven.
The Kel Greenough dog is strong at the business end of his races, as he showed in his come from behind win in the Ballarat Cup but this is a top field and he would need to be with them turning for home to be a chance.
Blackalls Boss will wear the pink vest and while he is better known as a railer he must be respected.
He won his heat in a time of 26.25 but it was in a small field of five and he took all day to shrug off his rivals to the first turn.
Nevertheless the dog is proven at Group level and must be considered in the top four chances.
Burnt Fuse is owned by Steve Lithgow inVictoriabut he transferred the dog to Tasmanian trainer Brendan Pursell for his Hobart Thousand campaign.
Burnt Fuse was low flying from the moment he left the boxes in his heat and clocked the same first split of 5.18 as Walk Hard.
However his run home was significantly slower suggesting he might struggle over the concluding stages.
Dark Warrior, prepared byTasmania’s top mentor Teed Medhurst, is the interesting runner as he is the youngest and most inexperienced of the eight finalists.
Dark Warrior is unbeaten from his only seven starts and his effort to win his heat was outstanding in that odds-on favourite Proven Maddy had every chance to run him down.
But the son of Where’s Pedro-Shanlyn Supreme refused to wilt and drew clear over the concluding stages to score an impressive win.
His time of 26.29 was very respectable and no doubt Medhurst will have left a bit in the tank for the final.
The remaining finalist Custodian is likely to start the rank outsider but it was a great feat to make it to the final.
It is a credit to his trainer Steve O’Brien who has only a handful of dogs in work at any one time. yet this is the second time in the space of three years that he has provided a Hobart Thousand finalists.
Custodian is a very consistent chaser but even the trainer would admit his charge had a fair amount of luck in running to get into the final.
Market for the 2012 Hobart Thousand final:
11/8 Walk Hard, 7/2 Under Threat, Maverick Tiger, 6 Rewind, 9 Blackalls Boss, 14 Dark Warrior, 16 Burnt Fuse, 50 Custodian.
PETER STAPLES SELECTS:
1 – Rewind.
2 – Walk Hard.
3 – Maverick Tiger.
4 – Under Threat.