Stars shine brightly

The stars of Tasmanian harness racing sparkled brightly in Hobart at the Tasmanian Pacing Club meeting on Friday night.

Hall Of Fame reinsman Ricky Duggan led the way with four winners in succession, three starting favourite and one the second favourite.

The punter’s pal run started his winning night with a classic drive with the Juanita McKenzie-trained Jaks Teller.

Duggan seized the opportunity to make ground heading to mile pole when Brady Woods had them walking up front with the popular pick Usain Jolt.

Jaks Teller found the death-seat in leisurely fashion and from their Duggan dictated terms, applying the pressure to Usain Jolt approaching the 400-metre before racing clear at the top of the stretch to score by 5.4-metres and notch up the four-year-olds tenth win from 15 starts.

Duggan’s masterful judgement was on display with the Paul Hill prepared Streitkid starting from an outside second line draw to come from second last at the 600-metre mark to storm over the top of Abs Boy to record its sixth win from 12 outings by 4.3-metres.

The Craig Hayes prepared Scooterwillrev showed he is well and truly back to his brilliant best with a runaway 9.7-metres victory over Plata O Plomo.

The four-year-old Somebeachsomewhere-Karamea Toastime gelding boasts an amazing career record of 18 wins from 30 starts but had endured a tough start to the 2017/18 season before being backed off the map and scoring accordingly in Launceston at its most recent run.

Despite drawing the inside of the front line Duggan refused to get involved in the early speed battle electing to sit back fourth before working into death chair outside Another Swinger.

Plata O Plomo camped on the speed in third spot behind the leader but had no answer when Duggan surged to the front on Scooterwillrev inside the 4oo-metre mark.

“It’s the first time I’ve had the opportunity to drive Scooterwillrev and to say I’m impressed would be a huge understatement,” said Ricky.

“I got off the pegs in the first hundred metres of the race and got to the death  outside Gareth (Rattray) on Another Swinger and after he’d had an easy first section I decided to apply some pressure at the 1200-metre mark and it was a test of the toughest from there on in, we ran home in 57 seconds and left a good horse in Plata O Plomo standing through the home turn.”

Rollon Jack’s record is at the other end of the scale, having won just one race in a 46 starts career however with Duggan in the sulky for the first time punters rallied behind the Marc Butler-trained six-year-old.

Rollon Jack was third last at the bell but made its move out three wide before hooking out four wide at the 600-metre mark and bursting to the lead approaching the home turn, before sprinting clear for a 16-metre victory.

The Rattray brothers pitched in with a double each, Gareth winning the bookend races on the card with the Melissa Maine-trained stablemates Princess Luna on debut in the two-year-old fillies Belmont Pace and with Tisu Spirit winning its first race for the season in the last, the three-year-old.

Todd Rattray backed up from driving half the programme on Wednesday night in Launceston to steer home Zhukov Leis to its fifth career win and then got the job done on Bigsie Neptune for Steve Lukac.

Watch Jaks Teller topple Usain Jolt in the Roberts Bridgewater Sprint Lane Pace by 5.4-metres to take its winning tally to double figures:

Shane Yates