Tasmanian owned and trained two-year-old pacer Ignatius will remain in New South Wales despite connections being unsure of whether he will gain a start in a semi-final of the harness racing 2YO Breeders Challenge series.
Ignatius, trained and driven by Todd Rattray, finished third in his heat at Menangle on Tuesday but only the first two placegetters in each of eight heats are guaranteed a berth in one of two semi-finals.
Four of the eight third placings from the heats will progress to the semi-finals and they are chosen by Harness Racing NSW with the remaining four third placegetters to be made emergencies.
"We have decided to leave the horse here and hope for the best as far as the semi-finals are concerned," Rattray said.
"The horse led in his heat but he was probably still feeling the effects of travelling because he never finished his race off like I expected him to.
"He was definitely off his game and is better than what he showed on Tuesday."
Ignatius went into the race unbeaten from three starts in Tasmania and his times at home suggest he is capable of matching it with the best in the Breeders Challenge series.
Another Tasmanian-owned gelding Miracle Marcus that is trained in NSW by Wayne Potter, finished fourth in his heat and missed the chance to progress to the semi-finals.
Miracle Marcus is owned in Tasmania by Mick Maxfield.
Peter Staples