Rock on top after holding off rivals

TALENTED Victorian Rock Up Top delivered a career-best effort to win the Group 1 Hobart Thousand in Hobart last night.

Rock Up Top started well from box seven to find the rail before they reached the top turn and when he found clear racing room in the home straight the son of Spud Regis dashed home to hit the line a short-head clear of Print The Money with Blue Gum Hill a close-up third after missing the start by three lengths.

The Rob Britton-trained dog has been in the care of talented young Tasmanian trainer Blake Pursell for his Tasmanian campaign

Blake’s father, Brendan Pursell, has been looking after Britton’s Victorian kennel while that trainer is overseas on business.

“I know I’m not the trainer of this dog, but he was entrusted to me for three weeks to prepare him for this race and to win it is amazing,” Pursell said.

“Like any Tasmania trainer, my ambition is to win a Hobart Thousand in my own right and this has given me even more incentive.

“I’ve had the dog at my kennels for three weeks and he is a wonderful animal and I also had his kennel mate Landmark for the series.”

It is Britton’s third Hobart Thousand, having won in 2009 with Prankster and with Above All in 2014.

THE Seona Thompsontrained Invictus Rapid and Aqua Cheetah made the trip to Tasmania worthwhile when they took out the two minor feature races on the 10-event card at Elwick.

The pair were two of a team of four aimed at the Hobart Thousand but neither was able to secure a berth in the Group 1 event.

The Thompson kennel, clearly the most successful in Australia this year, also nominated Bewildering and Big Flood, but they were stranded in Melbourne and unable to make the trip for the Hobart Thousand heats due to excessive heat.

Invictus Rapid and Aqua Cheetah were sent to Tasmania early to prepare for the series and placed in the care of top Tasmanian mentor Mick Stringer.

Aqua Cheetah finished second in his Hobart Thousand heat that followed a second to Two Bills in the Hobart Thousand Prelude a week earlier.

But he saved his best for last night in the Bob Brown Memorial that is the Hobart Thousand Consolation over 461m.

Aqua Cheetah started well from box five and mustered speed to share the lead to the top turn but when he found the rail he sped clear and went on to score by two lengths from Zipping Inglis and Celtic Kid.

“I’ve won this race myself with Banger Harvey and it meant so much to me because the man after whom the race is named, Bob Brown, was responsible for giving me an interest in greyhound racing,” Stringer said.

He said Invictus Rapid was a high class dog with a future.

“Invictus Rapid has done a great job and I’m sure had he made the Hobart Thousand final he would have made his presence felt,” Stringer said.

“I was rapt with the run of Blue Gum Hill in the Hobart Thousand final because he missed the start badly but ended up a long neck from the winner.”