Ideal Fella secures a finals spot

It had taken 31 starts, but Ideal Fella rewarded his connections for their perseverance when he broke his maiden in the final heat of the Allen Williams Memorial in Devonport on Friday night.

Sent out as the $13 outsider, driver Natalee Emery kept out of the early speed battle, and she was able to enjoy a frantic tempo up front which saw a 51.7s lead time and a 30.8s first quarter.

From there, the speed decreased with quarters of 31.5s, 31.5s and 33.0s for a mile rate of 2m 5.1s, with Emery giving the pacer every chance after settling three-back the pegs before timing her run well to score.

The Artistic Fella gelding started his racing career in the Todd Rattray stable before joining the Jan Richardson stable in April 2019.

The Allen Williams Memorial Final will be held in Launceston on Easter Cup night.

Danger Of Tyne was another to break his maiden on the Devonport card, at the pacers 20th attempt.

Trained by comeback trainer Leigh Rand, reinsman Todd Rattray was able to get things all his own way in front to go on and score by 7.6 metres.

The win was the final leg of a driving double for Todd, who took out the N.W.T.L.H.A Mares Feature aboard Island Bliss (pictured winning at St.Marys), who he also trains.

It was a big night for the Rattray clan, with Ignatius winning the free-for-all at Menangle in Sydney.

The Roll With Joe gelding worked forward to find the lead, passing the 1200-metre point and went on to win in a slick 1m 49.4s, a record for a Tasmanian bred pacer on Australian soil, with trainer James Rattray taking the drive.

Former trainer of the pacer, Todd Rattray, said on Tasracing’s From The Stables that “America is an option” for the pacer going forward.

Duncan Dornauf for Tasracing