Premiership leads extended at postponed Hobart meeting

Tasmania’s top harness racing trainers and drivers Ben Yole, Conor Crook and Jordan Chibnall extended their premiership leads on Tuesday after being the major players at the seven-race Hobart card.

Yole prepared two legs of reinsman Conor Crook’s driving treble, including Bettor Sport ($21) in the opening race, the gelded son of Sportswriter settled one-out and three-back, before progressing into the race three-wide from the 1100m to go on and score by 12.8m.

Nifty Jolt ($6.00) was having his first Tasmanian start in a rating 41 to 47 event over the mile and proved too strong for his rivals late when leading home a top-four finish for the Yole stable.

The middle leg of Crook’s driving treble was Northview Dave ($3.30 fav), who is prepared at Carrick by Mark Yole and led all the way to score by 3.5m in 1m 59.5s.

Crook now has 81 wins for the season and leads the states drivers’ premiership over Troy McDonald on 71.

Jordan Chibnall extended her lead on the female drivers and junior drivers premiership aboard the Ben Yole duo Guido Da Siena ($10) and Keep Playing ($10).

Guido Da Siena, who trainer Ben Yole threw out as one of his better weekend chances on the Harness Highlights Podcast last Friday, settled well back in the field from outside of the front-row before racing three and four-wide for the final half-mile with the gelded son of Art Major racing away for his fifth win of the season.

The last leg of Chibnalls double was Keep Playing, who won his fifth race of the season when overcoming an outside of the second-row draw to score in a 30-40 rating event.

Chibnall now has 33 season wins and leads Bronte Miller with 21 wins on both the female on junior driver titles.

Yole’s final winner of the night came in the way of $6 chance Rocks Roy who won his third race at start 73, and was the first driving win for Nathan Ford since returning to the sulky from a stewards enforced break.

The only winner not trained by the Yole family on the Hobart card was Triple Aitch Fella ($5.50) for Longford trainer-driver Todd Rattray, who enjoyed a lovely run in the one-one for the final mile before being presented three-wide from the 500m to go on and win his first race since February 2018.

To view all of the results from Hobart on Tuesday click here.

By Duncan Dornauf for Tasracing