Watchmylips gearing up for Group 2 feature

Lightly raced four-year-old gelding Watchmylips took a progressive step forward to next month’s Group 2 Raider Stakes in Devonport, with an impressive 14.6-metre win in Hobart on Sunday night.

The Rodney Ashwood-trained pacer was stepping out for the first time since early March and went into the rating 65 to 79 event on the back of two recent trial wins.

Sent out as the $2.90 favourite, reinsman Ricky Duggan was able to find the lead with relative ease out of the mobile and dictate affairs in front.

After a lead time of 35.6s, Duggan allowed the pacer to bowl along in quarters of 30.9s, 30.4s, 28.8s and 28.5s.

“He was good tonight,” said Duggan post-race.

“When he gets a steady enough first lap like that he can always run a pretty good last 1200 metres.

“He had a good blow after the race, so he will improve a fair bit fitness-wise. He only had a couple of standing start trials before tonight. It’s a bit different in that company when you go to the races in a mobile when you have to run off the gate a little bit,” Duggan said.

The win was the pacers eighth career victory at only his 16th career start.

He missed last seasons Group 2 Globe Derby after a post-race veterinary examination which revealed the gelding to have suffered a cardiac arrhythmia, which saw him miss the final after the embargoes placed on the pacer by stewards.

Duggan is hopeful the pacer can draw well in the upcoming Group 2 Raider Stakes on the tight Devonport circuit.

One thing that is known for sure is Ricky Duggan knows his way around Devonport.

He has driven a Sires’ Stakes winner on the track on nine occasions.

Rodney Ashwood was in the winners’ circle in the next race when taking the reins on the Juanita McKenzie-trained Yorkshire, who led all the way to score in the free-for-all in a mile rate of 1m 57.5s.

Todd Rattray had a good night at the office with a training treble.

He drove the Bettors Delight gelding Hillbilly Band and Gordievsky Leis to victory, while Lee Simmonds drove The Floyd to another victory.

By Duncan Dornauf for Tasracing