Still Hungover on track for next mission

Last season’s Group 2 Bandbox winner Still Hungover remains on track for this season’s four-year-old leg of the Tasmanian Sires’ Stakes series, the Granny Smith, after the daughter of Sutter Hanover scored a top win in Hobart on Sunday night.

From barrier six on the front-row, reinsman Ricky Duggan worked forward to take up the lead at the 1350-metre point in the 2090-metre event and the mare had a strong kick late to score by 2.7 metres over Feel The Burn and Wattabout Spangher in a mile rate of 2m 1.2s, a handy run given the strong wind conditions that swept across the track.

Trainer Rodney Ashwood was pleased with the mare’s victory after two unlucky efforts.

“Her last two runs have been very good, she just hasn’t had any luck but last night she did a bit of work and stuck to her guns and ran to the line pretty good,” said Ashwood.

Still Hungover has now won eight of her 22 starts and the $50,000 Granny Smith in Devonport is the main aim for the mare, with the race rescheduled to November.

“She may have a week off now, and then we will aim her towards the Granny Smith and then we will work out where we go from there,” said Ashwood.

The mare now takes her national rating to 70 and while she is entitled to a five-point mares concession claim in a number of races, her opposition will only get tougher from here.

“If she wins another one or two, she will be free-for-all class,” the trainer said.

Still Hungover is owned by her breeder Corey Hazelwood.

The Heath Woods-trained and driven pacer, The Shallows, returned to the winner’s list after two below par performances.

From barrier three Woods restrained the pacer to settle one-out and five-back before racing three-wide and two-back over the final 850 metres.

Still last at the 400m Woods had to pull the pacer out four and five wide on the final corner and the pacer let down with his lethal sprint in a 56.6s last half mile. Many racing fans are eagerly awaiting the Tasracing Calculated Sectionals to be released to see what the pacers individual last half mile was recorded in.

Most punters had their quaddie tickets turned into confetti after the third leg when short-priced favourite Ryley Major had his colours lowered by Full Speed Ahead in the Rexel North Hobart Free-For-All.

Full Speed Ahead was able to hold the lead from his pole draw to score by 2.3 metres over the $1.18 favourite Ryley Major.

Trainer Zeke Slater said to tasracing.com.au prior to the race that he didn’t think there was a horse in that field that could beat Full Speed Ahead if he led, and after the pacer got away with a 35.5s lead time and the first quarter of 32.9s he was going to be hard to run down.

The last three quarters were run in 30.7s, 28.2s and 28.5s, with the mile rate for 2090 metres being a slow 1m 59.9s.

Leading trainer Ben Yole prepared a treble on the card with Nine Diamonds, Baccarat and Southern Gnp, while Taylor Ford continued her excellent run with a training and driving double with The Thug and Bettonblack.

Duncan Dornauf for Tasracing