THE connections of talented pacer Star Chamber had a change of luck in Launceston last Sunday night when the gelding scored an emphatic win in the Doug Martin Danbury Park Cup.
It was arguably Star Chamber’s best win since arriving in Tasmania just over a year ago and it made up in some way for the horse’s disqualification from winning a race at the same venue in October.
Star Chamber was first past the post in the Show Cup but was disqualified when stewards deemed the horse had gone inside the marker pegs during the race that also constituted a four-meeting suspension for the horse’s trainer-driver Nathan Ford who appealed the severity but lost the appeal.
But on Sunday night the state’s top reinsman Gareth Rattray was given the responsibility in the sulky and he never let connections down.
Rattray had Star Chamber was able to enjoy a charmed run in the one-out-one-back position and when Rattray eased his charge three-wide to make his move turning for homer the gelding let down brilliantly to go on and defeat race leader Truly Blissfull with Shanghai Knight running on well to grab third and only a head astern.
“Nathan has done a wonderful job with this horse to get him as far as he has,” said part-owner Bianca Heenan.
Star Chamber had won two races when he arrived in Tasmania but this latest victory was his ninth and Ford has high hopes he can pick up at least one of the country Cup s around Christmas-New Year.