VICTORIAN chaser Terry Tibbs made an auspicious debut on the Tattersall’s Park track invHobarvtlast night where he trialled solo in readiness for the heats of the Group 1 Tattsbet Hobart Thousand series next Thursday night.
The Rob Tartaglia-trained dog flew the lids but bear the 340-metre boxes he stumbled and lost momentum.
Despite the hiccup he went on to record a good time of 26.25.
While the time might appear way off what is expected for a Hobart Thousand trial, the track has been very slow of late since being re-sanded three weeks ago.
The club expects the track to be back to its best in time for the Hobart Thousand.
Terry Tibbs was bred inNew Zealandbut has done all of his racing inAustralia.
He was purchased for an undisclosed sum according to Tartaglia and has had his share of issues.
“I am reasonably happy with his trial time because they are saying the track has only been resurfaced recently and that it hasn’t been producing quick times,” Tartaglia said.
“I was however a bit concerned when he stumbled near the 340-metre boxes. He didn’t show any signs of a problem walking around freely after the trial but I’ll get a better idea when he cools down,” he said.
Tartaglia said he would take the dog home toVictoriaand return to Tassie next Wednesday provided he is sound.
This year’s Hobart Thousand has attracted 34 interstate invaders of which seven are from the Graeme Bate kennel and Darren McDonald has nominated three.