The Glenn Stevenson-trained The Longest Yard earned ballot-free entry into January’s Devonport Cup by taking the $50,000 Golden Mile (1650m) at that track on Wednesday.
The gelded son of Lean Mean Machine settled rearward in the six-horse field under Jett Stanley before saving valuable ground on the home turn and proving too strong for the fast-finishing Garcon D’Espoir.
The win provided Stanley with a double at the meeting as he’d won earlier on the John Blacker-trained Stollaway Ned, who also got back before sustaining a long, wide run to shed his maiden tag over 1350 metres.
That success gave Blacker a running double as his in-form charge Stardarmus made it three wins from his past four outings when taking the benchmark 68 handicap over the same route under Craig Newitt.
Newitt was the standout hoop of the meeting as he also scored on Barry Campbell’s sparingly raced filly Alkira, who led throughout in the 1009-metre maiden plate at just her second appearance.
Newitt later combined with Monica Ryan, whose honest mare Them’s The Breaks shared the prize in the final event on the card, a maiden/Class 1 plate over 1880 metres, with the Stevenson-trained race favourite Bailed.
Don’t forget Mistruth
Tassie owned mare Geegees Mistruth will be seeking back-to-back Group 1 wins when she tackles the $750,000 Moir Stakes (1000m) at Sandown on Saturday.
The daughter of Wordsmith stormed home to take the Sangster at Morphettville before her break and has tuned up for her return with a jumpout win on the Caulfield Heath.
She draws kindly in gate four and will have the services of Blake Shinn. It’s a hot line-up but she looks a good each-way play at the current quote of $17.
Barry had Moxie
There was sad news in Tasmanian racing last week with the death of former leading breeder and owner Barry Larter at 88.
Larter was instrumental in bringing the US stallion El Moxie to Tasmania in the early 1990s and that horse sired Larter’s Group 1 winners Alfa and El Mirada as well as El Mirada’s Group 1-placed sister Rainbow Bubbles.
Alfa remains the best galloper that I’ve seen race in Tasmania. He was unbeaten as a juvenile locally in the care of Barry Campbell before being transferred to Bart Cummings, for whom he won the Caulfield Guineas, defeating top colts Intergaze and Encosta De Lago.