John and Rhys Nicholson are no strangers to winning feature races in the Apple Isle, and the father and son duo claimed the states premier race, theĀ Group 2 Tasmania CupĀ in Hobart on Saturday night with the Bettors Delight gelding Bullys Delight.
From the pole draw, the pacer galloped out before settling one-out and one-back in the early stages before being shuffled back one position when Triple Eight found the spot outside the leader at the 1400 metres.
Rhys went for home down the back straight the final time, and the pacer was able to hold off challenges from The Shallows and Lip Reader over the concluding stages.
āDown the back, I thought I would get them off the bit, and might as well have a crack,ā said Rhys after the win.
āThe way he finished off last week I thought I could outstay them, and when I turned into the back I thought letās go,ā added the winning driver.
There was much drama with the win, with Bullys Delight having to survive a double protest, after the drivers of the second and third place getters lodged a protest after reviewing the stewards patrol film.
Both protests were subsequently dismissed after a lengthy hearing, with Rhys copping a total of 16 race dates suspension and $4,000 in fines from his drives in the Tasmania Cup and Derby.
Race favourite Willie Go West was checked soon after the start and galloped himself out of contention, while the second elect Triple Eight was forced to do plenty of work to find the spot outside the leader near the 1400-metre point.
John Nicolson trained and drove Alby Two Chains to victory in the Group 3 Tasmanian Derby.
āHe is so relaxed, and next year he will be a real horse,ā said John after his third Tasmanian Derby win as a trainer.
āI want to look after him, I would rather race him as a four-year-old,ā added the trainer when asked about the future plans of the half-brother to Jilliby Kung Fu.
The three-year-old colt was able to find the lead and record a very slow lead time of 79.8s before a 67.4s first half of the final mile before running home in 30.5s and 27.1s.
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Duncan Dornauf for Tasracing