Tasracing

It has been 78 days, but Tasmanian Harness Racing is back Sunday in Hobart, where the Tasmanian Drivers Premiership battle recommences.

Gareth Rattray, Mark Yole and Rohan Hillier top the table with 37 wins each with Ricky Duggan hot on their heels with 36 victories.

But this season there is a twist, Harness Racing Australia recently announced that due to COVID-19 and the number of restrictions affecting several states, the end of the season has been moved from 31 August to 31 December.

Last season’s leading driver Mark Yole will be a busy man in Hobart Sunday evening. He has a drive in every race, two of those drives he also trains.

The interesting runner from his stable appears in race six, in the way of Salvator Mundi, an Albury winner (6 March) three starts ago, who is having his first start in the state.

“We found him online, we watched him for a couple of runs, and we bought him the day after he ran a good second at Cobram (19 March),” explained Yole.

“We qualified him from a standing start in Launceston, but then the racing was suspended,” Yole said about the trial victory in Launceston on 29 March.

The Art Major entire has won eight of 35 starts, with five of the victories coming this season but one of his biggest wins occurred over the COVID-19 shutdown.

“We nearly lost him to colic, we were very lucky as we thought we were going to lose him,” said the Carrick based trainer-driver.

“There is definitely some nice horses in the race tonight, his work has been ok, and whatever he does tonight he will improve on,” explained Yole.

Gotta Good Reason is the other runner from the Mark Yole stable tonight.

The last start Launceston winner on 29 March has drawn inside of the second-row in race five.

“It was a good win last start, and I was looking forward to the few starts after that as I just thought I had got him right. Unfortunately, the virus hit,” the trainer-driver said.

The gelded son of Four A Reason was placed behind Dapper Dana in a Launceston trial on 6 June after leading in the 2200-metre trial.

“He trialled ok last week, I went a bit slower than I wanted to, he normally pulls a little bit, but he was nice and relaxed,” explained Yole.

Tonight, Gotta God Reason takes on the open class horses including the short price favourite Cool Water Paddy.

“It is a tricky draw tonight, he will probably end up three or four back the fence, so he will need a little bit of luck,” said the trainer-driver.

Yole has many genuine winning drives across the card including Written In Silk, Keep Playing, Pink Ponder and Stylish Trend.

Yole struggled to pinpoint one of those as his best chance for the punters.

The Hobart card commences at 17:13 and will feature a hosted coverage on TasracingTV. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 restrictions there will be no interviews with any participants.

A three-horse trial will be held before race one at 16:13.

Watch Salvator Mundi win a Launceston trial on 29 March: