A newcomer to Tasmania’s riding ranks, Akimasa Phanthura, began his career in the best possible way with success on his first mount at Launceston last Friday night.
The 4kg claimer faced the breeze on his master Adam Trinder’s promising charge Prince Of Khatun, before wearing down pacemaker Billie The Great in the concluding stages of the benchmark 68 handicap over 1200 metres.
The gelded son of Stratosphere has now won five from 13 and has only missed a place once.
The win provided Trinder with a double as he took the opening event on the card, a Class 1 handicap over the same distance, with Vortistar, who crossed from the outside gate to lead throughout under Erica Byrne Burke.
The reigning premier hoop then completed a running double aboard Angela Brakey’s in-form galloper Brave Jet, who finished off hard from midfield to take the benchmark 60 handicap over 1100 metres.
Byrne Burke later completed a treble on the Leanne Gaffney-prepared Little El, who camped just off the speed in the 2000-metre maiden/Class 1 plate before looming large on the home turn and drawing clear in the run to the line.
Young guns fire
Star Tasmanian apprentices Jabez Johnstone and Jackson Radley continue to impress interstate, with Johnstone notching the biggest win of his career at Flemington last Saturday in the Group 3 Bart Cummings over 2520 metres aboard the Ciaron Maher-trained Mr Monaco.
The gelded son of Territories faced the breeze and simply proved too tough for his rivals. The victory secured a Melbourne Cup berth for Mr Monaco and it appears likely Johnstone will retain the mount for the first Tuesday in November.
Radley proved he can mix it with the best hoops in the country when having his first Group 1 ride in a in last Saturday’s Epsom Handicap at Randwick.
He settled rearward on the Hayes brothers’ rank outsider Plymouth, who charged home and just missed third placing.