Talented 10 to vie for glory

AN ELITE group of 10 harness racing drivers has been selected by Tasracing to contest the 2018 BOTRA Claiming Novice Drivers’ series.

The drivers are Charlie Castles, Matthew Cooper, Connor Crook, Taylor Ford, Samantha Gangell, Kristy Grant, Braden Howlett, Wade Rattray, Allister Woods, Brady Woods and Samantha Freeman (emergency).

The series for drivers who are eligible to claim a concession will be held over three meetings with the first in Devonport on June 29 followed by Hobart on July 1 and the series ends in Launceston on July 6.

The field comprises the top five concession drivers from last season’s Junior Driver award and the best five performers this season on the state drivers’ premiership table up to June 3. New to the series are Crook, Cooper and Castles.

Crook drove one winner in Tasmania in 2016-17 after moving to the state from NSW to work for Ben Yole. In NSW he drove 12 winners from 271 drives with 44 placings and collected $90,000 prizemoney.

Castles is one of Tasmania’s most promising young drivers and he showed that in the recent Youngbloods Challenge.

Another relative newcomer to the industry in Tasmania is Cooper, who at 48 is the oldest claiming driver in the state. Cooper started driving in 2014 and has enjoyed success with his stable star Call Her Julie, which has won six of 29 starts.

Ford and Grant are experienced drivers who regularly land in the winner’s circle.

Wade Rattray, whose surname is well-known in harness racing around Australia, represented Tasmania in the 2016 Australasian Young Driver’s Championship in Perth. His best season was 2014-15, driving 16 winners to finish second to Dylan Ford in the Tasmanian junior driver’s premiership.

Freeman was runner up to Natalee Emery in last season’s Leading Female Driver award with 10 winners, and she has continued to drive winners this season. Freeman has spent a lifetime in the industry. Born on Christmas Eve, she went home on Christmas Day and spent Boxing Day at the races.

Howlett has continued to evolve as a talented reinsman.

Allister Woods has developed a great association with Laughyourheadoff, a horse he trains and drives and they have won numerous races on the North-West Coast.

Last year’s winner Brady Woods added the Youngbloods Challenge to his collection of titles courtesy of two winners during the six-heat series.