Two-year-old Sunshine Beach colt, Iylac Beach opened his winning account on debut in Hobart on Friday night.
Connections had no hesitation in racing the older horses first up in the rating 30 to 47 event, where another two-year-old, Demand Respect was sent out the $1.60 popular pick after being backed in from $2.30.
Demand Respect took up the lead soon after which gave Iylac Beach ($2.60 out to $4.80) a lovely trail behind the leader. Driver Dylan Ford decided to use the Nutrien Sprint Lane in the home straight with the pacer going on to score by a head over Demand Respect with Oneofthelads a further 8.9 metres away third, in a mile rate of 2m 1.5s.
Trainer, breeder and part-owner Bianca Heenan said she was confident going into the race despite chucking the pacer “in the deep end” for his debut run.
“I have had big wraps on him from day one, he was a late foal so I took my time with him, he is still extremely green and has a lot to learn which is exciting for his future,” said Heenan after the race.
“To breed him, raise him, and treat him as though he is one of my children and then to watch them win is a feeling like nothing else, a feeling there's no way to describe, he had been my golden child since he was born,” added Heenan, with the pacer picking up his $10,000 first win Tasbred bonus.
Heenan indicated she would see how the colt pulls up in the next couple of days and then decide if she gives the pacer one more start before a spell.
Iylac Beach is named after a combination of Heenan’s two kids Alec and Iylah.
The win was the second leg of a driving double for Dylan Ford who caught his rivals napping at the bell when he made a lighting move on Victoria Pass in the second race of the night.
The Passmaster Hanover gelding outstayed his rivals over the concluding stages to score in 1m 58.7s to give his trainer Zeke Slater his 150th career win.
Reinsman Mark Yole was another to drive a double on the card, and the reinsman is still in contention for the states drivers title where he is now nine-wins off the lead.
He drove the Geoff Smith trained North Star Lad to victory, before scoring with Nikks Pick, with the mare recording her first win since February 2019, the pacer was stepping out for the first time since joining the Kristy Butler stable.
Boltnmach was another pacer to break a long drought when scoring in a rating 58 to 63 event, the 11-year-old gelding hadn’t won since July 2018.
The pacer was having only his fourth start since joining the Ben Richardson stable and was driven by Hannah Van Dongen who now joins Taylor Ford at the top of the female driver's title.
It was a rough start to the night with The Cobblers Piece ($13) scoring in the first race on the program in what was a stable quinella for trainer Ray Pullen with Gipsy Treasure finishing second.
Navua Pixie’s win also ensured it was going to be a rough result in the quaddie when scoring at odds of $18 in a rating 30 to 47 event that was restricted to mares. She was driven by her trainer Sam Gangell.
Duncan Dornauf for Tasracing