Rattrays driving for state
THE Tasmanian Pacing Club on Saturday night hosts the 2017 Australian Driving Championship series, which boasts one of the most diverse line-ups in the event’s history.
Two drivers from each of the six states will compete at the meeting in Hobart, with West Australian reinsman Chris Lewis, at age 62, clearly the oldest, while NSW has gone for youth with their representatives Ellen Rixon and Chris Geary the youngest at 18 and 19.
Lewis drove his first winner at Kapunda in 1972 and as at the start of this month he had amassed 5160 winners.
But he rates his best efforts being with all-time greats Carclew in 1976 and Village Kid during the 1986 Inter Dominion series.
Also representing WA is Ryan Warwick, who has been in great form of late and has a huge following nationally.
Victoria’s Chris Alford has ventured into the winner’s circle more than 6000 times in his career and remains one of the best and most consistent drivers in the game.
Alford has been associated with many champions with the latest, Lennytheshark, listed in his personal biography as his favourite horse.
Victoria’s other representative is Greg Sugar, who, at 33, has amassed more than 2500 winners. Like Alford he rarely attends a meeting without close to a full book of drives.
South Australia will send siblings Danielle ˚and Wayne Hill and they are that state’s best, while Queensland will be represented by Chris Graham and Mathew Neilson.
Graham contested the series the last time it was held in Tasmania in 2015 which was taken out by fellow Queenslander Grant Dixon.
Graham is fresh from representing Australia at the World Driving Championship in Canada where he finished eighth in the series won by Canadian James MacDonald.
Tasmania will be represented by brothers Todd and Gareth Rattray.
Both are driving in careerbest form with Gareth no stranger to contesting the series while Todd will be tackling the series for the first time.
The winner is determined on a point score basis with points allocated to each driver based on where his or her horse finishes in each heat.
The series will comprise up to eight heats that must contain at least 12 starters with first place to earn 19 points, 14 points for second and 11 points for third. Fourth place earns nine points and that reduces by one point through to last.
Should there be fewer than 12 starters the allocation of points varies and if a driver does not have a drive in a heat or if a horse he or she is aboard is scratched or fails to compete as a result of interference as adjudicated by stewards, the driver shall earn five points.
There will be nine races on Saturday night’s card and for one lucky person who attends the meeting there is a prize on offer of a two-night package of a trip to Melbourne for two that includes entry into the official Melbourne Cup eve gala dinner and entry to the Melbourne Cup.