Big win for Big Boy Mal in Country Championship

Big Boy Mal (Lincoln Royal) claimed the last feature race in the Apple Isle for 2022 at Carrick Park on Friday night, with a dominant 24m harness racing win in the $14,000 Cressy Transport Tasmanian Country Championship.

The Rohan Hillier-trained and driven pacer was backed from $7 into $4.2 and was confidently driven.

After being caught wide early, Hillier worked forward in his own time to find the lead with around 1500m to go.

Hillier gave the pacer a bit more rein near the 400m, with the Lincoln Royal gelding racing away for an easy win.

“It was a bit more like he can go,” said Hillier post-race.

“He went terrible in Launceston last start, but he trialled well on the Monday night prior, and I don’t think he backed up,” Hillier explained.

Owner-breeder Marc Panton transferred the pacer to the Rohan Hillier stable after Conor Crook left the state, and connections were preparing the pacer for the Globe Derby before having to adjust their plans.

“We tried to time it to have him back for the Sires’, but he ended up getting a bad cold and he didn’t go in it,” said Hillier.

“Conor (Crook) had him as a two-year-old, and he came up really quick and did a good job to do what he done at what was only his second prep, so he was always going to improve,” the trainer-driver added.

Hillier said they will keep the pacer racing in 2023 with the view of picking up a few wins before aiming him at the Raider Stakes in the back half of the year.

The Launceston Bobcat Hire Stakes was the fast-class race of the program, which was taken out by The Shallows.

Trainer-driver Heath Woods positioned the pacer one-out and one-back before improving into the race from the 700m.

The gelded son of Shadyshark Hanover had to dig deep late to hold off Be Major Threat and Sunny Sanz.

The mile rating for the 2150m trip was given as 1m 57.8m but was later adjusted when the official results were published to 1m 58.2s, which is the correct mile rate for the race time of 2m 37.9s.

That time equalled Streetside Classic’s track record that he recorded in 2019.

The 1670m track record was also equalled on the card with the win of the Todd Rattray-trained and driven Szabolski Leis in race 2, who recorded a mile rate 1m 56.7s for the 1670m distance.

She now jointly holds the record with Wayonbye, who ran the same time last year.

For complete race results, click here.

by Duncan Dornauf, for Tasracing