3 minute read

The track

Good 4, rail +9m 1200m-W/Post, +7m Remainder. No shock with the rail so far out that it was a night where it was advantageous to settle up on the speed. Half of the eight races were won by leaders, three of those paid double figure prices on the tote.

The star

Liam Riordan

The Victorian jockey has been a welcome addition to the Tasmanian riding ranks for this current Launceston night racing season.

Predominantly riding for John Blacker, Liam Riordan had a double for him on Wednesday's card to take his Tassie tally to four wins from 19 rides with another four minor placings.

Riordan's steer to win on Southern Wind was up there for ride of the night given the horse was one of few winners to come from back and away from the inside, while flying mare Page just continues to go from strength to strength. Lining up in Devonport on 28 August, Page was a 15-start maiden, and now less than two months later she has four wins from 20 career starts.

Night Missile – R2 Maiden (1220m)

Shoutout to the beaten performance of Bell Ringer Boy whose last 200m was over a length quicker than any other recorded Stridemaster sectional data on the night, but he has made this column before.

Night Missile went around in the second race, won by the leader Kaytee Valiente, in an overall time that was just under four lengths slower than the 3YO maiden to open the night.

The John Blacker-trained 4YO gelding was ninth at the 600m and 400m mark and still eighth at the 200m so his effort to grab third shows how quickly he was finishing the race.

The nine-start maiden had the sixth fastest last 400m and 200m recorded sectionals of the program, finishing over two lengths quicker than anything else in this race.

Night Missile was scratched from a 1400m maiden last Friday night to run here at 1220m, so it will be interesting to see what distance Blacker goes to next as the horse appears to be belting on the door for a maiden win.

Not one of the eight Starting Price favourites won on Wednesday night, in fact only two of them (Sparkling One and Ashmania) managed to run a place!

The Adam Trinder-trained pair Needs Remembering and Hero Of Romani in particular were head scratchers, both finishing tailed off despite being firm in the market and they well and truly fall into the "too bad to be true" category.

A big time plunge on Rockierro (open $13 closed $3.50) went amiss, but it's hard to make excuses for his beaten run, as is the case for Mywordis ($2.80) and Geegees Sunshine($3) who were both soundly beaten.

Punters have ample opportunity for redemption though with back-to-back meetings in Hobart on Melbourne Cup Day and Launceston again next Wednesday night.

Market movers

Biggest Tasracing Official Price movers

• Race 7 – Mariposa $4.80 out to $10. 5th
• Race 2 – Rockierro $5.5 into $3.5. 8th
• Race 4 – King Island $5 into $3.4. 1st
• Race 1 – Galan $5.5 out to $11. 7th
• Race 5 – Rising Light $2.7 out to $3.5. 1st
• Race 1 – Ada Way $6 out to $12. 3rd
• Race 8 – Political $5 out to $8.5. 7th
• Race 5 – Bell Ringer Boy $5.5 into $3.8. 2nd
• Race 2 – Night Missile $4.4 out to $6.5. 3rd
• Race 1 – Sakura Hime $7.5 into $5. 6th