More than half the Hobart card went the way of Victorian-based trainers and drivers during a big Saturday night in the Apple Isle.
John and Rhys Nicholson are no strangers to winning feature races across the Bass Strait, and the father-and-son duo claimed the state’s premier event, the Group 2 Tasmania Cup, and followed up with the Tasmanian Derby.
The Big V also shone brightly via the Dean Braun-Anthony Butt trainer-and-driver combination, with the pair producing a treble including the Tasmanian Oaks.
And to put the icing on the cake, the last race on the card was won by Kate Hargreaves-trained mare Elita, with driver Alex Ashwood partnering the four-year-old to victory in the Nutrien Sprintlane Pace.
The biggest headlines belonged to Bullys Delight, who recovered from a break at the start and a double protest to win the $75,000 feature in a bold front-running performance.
There was much drama after the result, with Bullys Delight having to survive a double protest. While it was dismissed, Rhys was suspended for 12 race dates and fined $3000 for his drive in the Cup. The Tasmanian Office of Racing Integrity also announced it would conduct a further inquiry into the race, appointing Ray Murrihy to lead the investigation.
Of the other Victorians contesting the Cup, race favourite Willie Go West (trained by Dean Braun) was checked soon after the start and galloped himself out of contention, while the second elect Triple Eight (Jess Tubbs) was forced to do plenty of work to find the breeze and dropped out to run second last.
John Nicholson then followed up to train and drive Alby Two Chains to victory in the Group 3 Tasmanian Derby, the third time he’s claimed the crown as a trainer.
“He is so relaxed, and next year he will be a real horse,” he said.
Earlier, Braun’s stable star Our Princess Tiffany was a dominant 17m victor of the George Johnson Mares, stablemate Jaffa Josh made it two from two since joining Braun's barn with victory in the Eric Reece Memorial Final and talented filly Annerie upset Tubbs-trained favourite Momentslikethese to take out the $30,000 Tasmanian Oaks at just her sixth career start.
* cover photo courtesy of Courtney Pearce