It’s become standard practice for Scott Brunton to dominate Hobart meetings and that was again the case last Sunday, with Tasmania’s leading trainer preparing half of the winners on the eight event card.
Brunton opened his account with Banca Bet ($4.40), who ran on strongly from a clear last under Bulent Muhcu to take the three-year-old handicap over 1100 metres.
It was Banca Bet’s third successive win, coming at his fourth start.
It was a clever ride by Muhcu, who saved valuable ground on the home turn while his rivals scouted wide in search of better going in the heavy conditions.
The Seven Mile Beach trainer made it a running double with $2 favourite Flikpix leading throughout in the open-age maiden plate over 1200 metres under Siggy Carr.
The well supported Bayview Emperor ($16-$7.50) made it a treble for Brunton, taking the benchmark 64 handicap over 1400 metres with Muhcu again saving valuable ground on the home turn.
Lightly raced three-year-old Shot of Irish ($1.50 favourite) completed Brunton’s quartet of victors, scoring a strong on-pace win under Carr in the Class 2 handicap over 1100 metres.
The Canford Cliffs gelding had scored at his only other outing, as a late two-year-old, also on a heavy track.
Brunton has a high enough opinion of him to be considering a trip across Bass Strait after one more local run.
Brunton has now notched 27 wins for the season at Hobart, well clear of Team Wells and Stuart Gandy, each on 11.
Carr was the standout hoop at the meeting, going on to complete a treble in the last, a maiden/Class 1 plate over 2100 metres, aboard the John Luttrell-trained Hell Baby ($7).
Anthony Darmanin completed his second local double in as many weeks, kicking off with the Kath Kennedy and Kirstin Paterson-trained Butani ($6), who ran on strongly from midfield at his first run back from a break to take the open-age maiden plate over 1200 metres.
Darmanin later gave Luttrell the first leg of his winning double, taking the benchmark 84 handicap over 1100 metres on Apriano ($3.20 favourite), who raced on the pace throughout the event.