It’s been a record-breaking season for trainer Ben Yole in 2022.
He has chalked up various national and state records, and on Friday night in Burnie, he achieved another milestone when becoming the first trainer across all three codes to train 300 Tasmanian winners in a single season.
The feat was achieved with the win of Oneofthelads, who led all the way to score in the first heat of the North West Plate.
Backed in from $4 into $2.90, reinsman Mitch Ford got the gelding away cleanly to lead all the way for the pacer’s 18th victory.
Yole’s national tally sits at 372, courtesy of the success of a satellite stable in the Victorian town of Kilmore.
Driving honours at the Burnie meeting went the way of Ben’s brother Mark, who drove a quartet of winners, including Spikey Boy, Kolovos, Queenofdance and Cool Scooter.
Mark has been driving in good form in recent weeks and sits second on the state drivers’ title with 61 wins, only seven behind premiership leader Mitch Ford, with four meetings on mainland Tasmania remaining for the season,
All of Mark’s Burnie winners were trained by Ben, who also trained King Of Cool to victory on the card, with Gareth Rattray taking that drive.
The night’s feature race was the Dowling McCarthy Tyres Liza Storm, which the $2.10 favourite Nurse Anna won.
Trained and driven by Craig Hayes, the three-year-old daughter of Betting Line was able to use her pole draw to full advantage to lead in the mobile start event, and she was always holding her rivals late for a 3.9m victory.
Connections had double reason to celebrate, as the filly collected her $10,000 first-win Tasbred bonus.
The next meeting for the Burnie Harness Racing Club is on Tuesday, 27 December, which features the North West Plate Final.
The meeting was one of the highest attended when held at the Devonport Showgrounds, but it has found a new home after Devonport’s closure.
