Yole’s two-pronged attack in Easter Cup

Carrick harness racing trainer Mark Yole will have a two-prong attack on Sunday’s Ladbrokes Easter Cup heats after the win of Tisu Spirit in the Neil Cameron Devonport Patrons Marathon in Launceston on Sunday night.

The seven-year-old gelded son of American Ideal stepped cleanly from barrier one in the 2698m standing start event, with three-point concession reinsman Ben Woodsford happy to hold the lead on the $17 chance.

Tisu Sprit dug deep late to hold off Mister Gently ($4.80) by 1.2m with Kuyomi ($4.60) a further 3.8m away third in a mile rate of 2m 2.4s.

“I’m super happy with him, and it is good to get him somewhere back near his best,” said winning trainer Mark Yole.

Yole went into the race in two minds about where he would head next with Tisu Spirit, but his decision was made when the pacer crossed the finish post.

“We will have a throw at the stumps and go to the Easter Cup heats.

“I decided that if he won or ran second tonight that I would go to the Easter Cup, and if he didn’t I would go to the Kevin Gillies. Now with his rating, there isn’t much for him,” said Yole.

Mark’s other Easter Cup contender is last month’s Tasmania Cup winner Gotta Good Reason, who finished second in the Tassie Wash Pace last night, where the gelded son of For A Reason settled back at the tail of the field before hitting the line well late to finish 2m behind the Conor Crook-trained, Rohan Hillier driven, Shannonstheman.

“I was happy with him. He had an easy week after the Tassie Cup win and would have been short of a run tonight,” said Yole about Gotta Good Reason’s performance.

Yole also had success in the sulky in the N.W.T.L.H.A Mares Feature with Nine Diamonds, who is prepared by his brother Ben.

Former Kiwi pacer Kerala Star continued his picket fence when completing a winning hat-trick in the final race of the night, overcoming an outside of the second-row draw over the 1680m trip.

“I thought he was going to run a nice second turning for home, but once they straightened, he really flattened out and put the ears back and hit the line really well,” said winning trainer Steve Lukac.

“Greg West is my principal owner of all the horses I have got and he picked him out of New Zealand.

“I might give him a bit of an ease up and look at something half decent for him now he is in the (rating) 60 range,” explained Lukac post-race.

Another horse to continue their winning way in Tasmania is the Paul Ashwood prepared Ideal Pace, undefeated in two starts in the state since arriving from Victoria and was an easy winner of the C.U.B Allen Williams Memorial Final by 4.9 metres, with Conor Crook in the sulky.

By Duncan Dornauf for Tasracing