Illegal Immigrant wins Pacing Cup

After a frustrating run of finishing just behind the placings in several feature races, seven-year-old gelding Illegal Immigrant finally broke through for a feature race win when he took out Sunday nights Group 3 Hardings Hotmix Devonport Pacing Cup.

From the ten-metre back mark, trainer-driver Troy Hillier got the pacer away safely to settle one-out and six-back in the $30,000 event.

The race changed complexion at the 1200 metre mark when the race leader Ideal World got his offside hind leg caught up in a hopple shortener cord which saw him gallop back through the field before being retired from the race.

At the same point of the race Hillier commenced his move three-wide on the back of 2017 winner Pachacuti, Hillier then had to make another move four-wide at the 550-metre mark.

“When I got on to Pachacuti’s back I thought he would take me into the race but he didn't take me that far in the end,” explained Troy Hillier after the race.

The move four-wide at that stage of the race was probably a fraction earlier than Hillier would have liked as Illegal Immigrant only has one dimension.

“He is just a sprint sprinter and that’s all he can do,” said the trainer-driver.

Illegal Immigrant had a fight on his hands late when $41 outsider Goggo Gee Gee put up a brave fight over the concluding stages to just miss by a neck with Full Speed Ahead who raced outside the leader before taking up the lead mid-race finishing a further 3.9-metres away third in a mile rate of 2m 5.2s for the 3020 metre trip.

The wining trainer-driver said that he wasn’t disappointed with the effort of the pacer the start prior when fourth on 19 January in Devonport.

“He had missed a fair bit of work in the lead up to that race … I gave him a good hopple last weekend and he had a good gallop during the week,” he said.

Hillier indicated after the race that he will miss Friday’s Hobart Pacing Cup with the gelding who he part-owns along with his wife Michelle.

“I’ll freshen him up now, I will let Rohan (Hillier) win with Ryley Major next week,” he laughed.

The main target for the gelding will be the features during the Tasmanian Harness Racing Autumn Carnival including the $75,000 Tasmania Cup in Hobart in March and then onto the Easter Cup in Launceston in April.

Illegal Immigrant arrived in the Hillier stable after winning three of his first 13 starts in the south island of New Zealand in November of 2017.

“He was a cheap one from New Zealand but he has certainly paid his way and a lot more,” said the Beaconsfield baker about the pacer who has won 15 races and just under $125,000 in prize-money since joining his stable.

Duncan Dornauf for Tasracing