Brighton trainer Tammy Langley continued her outstanding season, landing the quinella in Tasmanian harness racing’s only Group 1 event when Jorge Street ($10) claimed the $150,000 Ladbrokes Tasmania Cup (2579m) in Hobart on Saturday night.
Driven by Langley’s son Dylan Ford, Jorge Street stepped cleanly from his front-row handicap. Ford positioned the pacer on the back of the leader, Mydadsaid, with the pair racing several metres clear of the field during the first lap of the race.
Ford worked one away from the inside turning for home, where he drew clear late to score by 7.3m over the stablemate Mydadsaid ($2.90 fav), with Arggghhh ($81) a further 1.7m away third in a mile rate of 1:58.2s, the second quickest time recorded in the history of the Tasmania Cup/Championship behind Star Chamber who ran 1:57.9s when winning the race under Mobile Start conditions in 2014.
“It was the ideal spot to be, and once we straightened, I knew we were home,” said an emotional Ford post-race.
“Nathan (Ford, cousin) and my parents (Philip Ford and Tammy Langley) have been a massive help to me. I left school during Year 9 to work with the horses, and I can’t thank them enough for what they have done for my career.
“There’s a lot of hate towards us, and my advice is to get better, and that’s what we have done. We have got better stock and better facilities, and everyone else needs to stop complaining and get better. This horse has won eight races, and now he is a Group 1 winner,” said Ford.
Ford indicated that the Captaintreacherous gelding, who won the $20,000 Carrick Cup earlier this month, would likely be targeted towards the Easter Cup in Launceston next month.
The win continued a golden run for the Langley stable.
She currently leads this season’s state trainers premiership, and this season alone, she has trained the quinella in the St Marys and New Norfolk Cups, along with landing the North Eastern Pacing Cup at Scottsdale and the recent Carrick Cup.
Other highlights on the card included the Cavalor Equicare George Johnson (2090m), where the Allan McDonough-driven Beat Sweet ($3) ran down her more fancied Bill Dornauf-trained stablemate Tough Shaz ($1.65 fav) in a mile rate of 1:57.3s, which broke the race record of 1:57.7s which was set by the Peter Manning trained No More Trouble in 2007. The race distance has been reduced in recent years.
The Tasmanian Labor Eric Reece Memorial (2090m) for the maidens often produces a winner that goes on to be above average, and this year’s winner, Preparation ($2.50 fav), showed plenty of potential at her debut effort to continue that trend with a 16.2m win in this year’s race.
Matthew Triffitt landed his first winner as a trainer at his 22nd starter when Seriously Sam ($7.00) claimed the Sinbad Bay (2090m).
Former Tasmanian and now Victorian-based trainer Bradley Walters made a trip home worth it when Le Betty ($3.10) demolished her rivals in the Jane Ellen (2090m).
Ambiguous ($2.80 fav) produced brilliant standing start manners to lead all the way in the L.H.T Cup (2579m) for the Conor Crook and Jordan Chibnall combination.
