Harjeet eyes a half dozen

LIGHTLY raced four-year-old pacer Harjeet is poised to register the biggest win of his career when he steps out at favourite in the $75,000 Group 3 Easter Cup in Launceston tonight.

Harjeet has only been to the races 13 times for nine wins and three minor placings, which is testament to the gelding’s ability.

The Todd Rattray-trained gelding goes into tonight’s final on the back of five consecutive wins and they followed seconds at his first two outings this preparation.

The gelded son of Rocknroll Hanover won his Easter Cup heat by more than 13m last Sunday night in Launceston after stepping cleanly from the standing start.

Provided he shows the same manners tonight Rattray is confident he can win starting from gate six on the front row.

“We have always had a good opinion of Harjeet even though he was a bit wayward as a two-year-old,” Rattray said.

“The horse has improved each preparation and this time in he has done a great job to win his last five.

“He is fairly safe from the standing start and provided he steps well then he is going to be hard to beat because the horse is as good as I can get him.”

The main danger to Harjeet is Isaac, which will start from barrier three on the front line.

Isaac powered home from well back to easily win his heat and in a slightly quicker time than Harjeet, though there were only three one-hun- dredths of a second difference in their overall time and mile rates over the 2698m trip.

Isaac, prepared by Juanita McKenzie at Magra, was second to Pachacuti in last year’s Easter Cup and his lead-up form to this year’s event has been just as good.

Star Chamber (20m) scored an impressive win in the Governor’s Cup in Hobart before finishing third to Harjeet in their Cup heat starting off a 20m handicap.

He has struck form at the right time and would only need to mirror his recent efforts to be a serious contender.

Star Chamber won the 2014 Tasmania Cup and was second the following year to Lets Elope, after which he lost all form following a lengthy interstate campaign.

But his trainer Bianca Heenan has been able to rekindle the horse’s interest in racing.

Victorians Lets Elope (20m handicap) and Stagger Lee (10m) are considered each-way hopes with Stagger Lee, from the Maree Caldow stable, game when second to Isaac in their heat, while the Brent Lilley-trained Lets Elope was very disappointing in finishing ninth in the same heat.

The Easter Cup is race five on the 10-event card and it is scheduled to start at 8.22pm