Big Ben set to keep rockin’

All-conquering Tasmanian trainer Ben Yole has mapped out a busy few weeks for six-year-old pacer Rock On Playboy who has been somewhat of a revelation since crossing the Bass Strait.

“An agent picked a few out for us to check over and Rock On Playboy caught our eye. The horse had been racing in Victoria and was performing quite nicely,” Yole, who is based at Sidmouth, near Launceston, said.

“We got him for a pretty reasonable price-and he’s more than repaid us, that’s for sure. I race him in partnership with Steve Wyles from Hobart who is one of our big owners,” he said.

Rock On Playboy (Rock N Roll Heaven USA-Pacific Playgirl NZ (Pacific Rocket USA) has won seven races from 11 starts since entering the powerful Yole stable.

Yole, who enjoyed his best-ever season last year, took out the national leading trainers’ premiership award-the first Tasmanian ever to achieve the honor.

He finished with a massive 231 winners to claim the award after having a ding-dong battle over the final few weeks of the season with crack Queensland horseman Grant Dixon.

Previously Yole’s best was a third spot in 2018 behind Dixon and Ballarat dynamo Emma Stewart.

Yole, who grew up in the Victorian country township of Hamilton, has been a dominant force in Tassie harness racing in recent years.

He became the first local trainer in 20 years to record 100 winners in 2015-16 (finishing with 107) and has topped the century mark ever since.

Rock On Playboy took out the $14,000 Eric Bean Memorial St Marys Pacing Cup at his most recent start on New Year’s Day on the 1306 metre grass track.

“He ran second for us at his first start in early September at Devonport and then reeled off five wins in a row. We then had a few below par efforts so decided to back off with him,” Yole said.

The stable produced the gelding again at the Devonport Boxing Day meeting.

“He showed he was back on track with a strong win and then the St Marys Cup was his next victory,” Yole said.

“We will run him in the $14,000 North Eastern Pacing Cup at Scottsdale and then the $40,000 Devonport Cup.”

Rock On Playboy has drawn barrier 10 on the 20m handicap in the Cup at Scottsdale tomorrow night. He will again be handled by in-form driver Dylan Ford, who has won on the horse at his past two starts.

Yole has 54 runners at the meeting.

The Devonport Cup, over the marathon distance of 3020 metres, will be run on Saturday week.
Jammed in between those two feature meetings is the Ladbrokes Hobart Pacing Cup of $40,000 on Sunday.

Ben Yole will be represented by Aha Reaction and Deadly Assassin, while his brother Mark has Blackbird Power and Gotta Good Reason running.

Respected Victorian trainer Dean Braun, who has successfully targeted races in Tasmania over the years, will be looking for a victory with the talented Willie Go West.

By Terry Gange for Harnesslink