FAST MINARDI WINS THRILLING TAS DERBY
Outstanding locally-bred chaser Fast Minardi added his name to a famous honour roll when he landed a brilliant performance in the $11,115 Sires On Ice Tasmanian Derby Final in Launceston on Monday night.
Trained and bred by Paul Hili at Loira for owner Ross Freeman, Fast Minardi grabbed a third major classic in his brilliant career as he swooped to conquer in a pulsating 515m climax.
Jumping from box 5, the son of Fernando Bale and Cheeky Vixen, copped a heavy bump from Fawn Shadow shortly after the start from box 4, but the winner stuck to his task.
Fast Minardi continued to drive forward, coming from near last with plenty of ground to make when chasing down the early leader Ah We’re Tight.
A tight scrimmage coming off the back saw the race change complexion with Winemaker going to the lead.
Fast Minardi railed through along the inside, charging home late to score by three-quarters of a length from Raider’s Guide with Winemaker running on strongly in third, as the winner clocked 29.77s for his 13th win.
“Fast Minardi just finds a way, some runs I thought he would have no chance,” trainer Paul Hili stated.
“We’ve just tried to place him in the best possible way to suit his age and experience, the dog just continues to perform well, winning races like the Tasmanian Derby, Illingworth Classic and Gold Collar is a terrific effort.”
Hili chose to freshen up Fast Minardi following the heats after an extensive feature campaign in Hobart.
“He handled all the runs in Hobart quite well, to win the Medley Series proved how versatile the dog really is.
“I have a good opinion that Fast Minardi will make it to 700-metres; he just needs the time,” Hili mentioned.
Paul was in full praise of his home-bred litter and happy for owner Ross Freeman with his current success.
“They’ve been a fantastic litter and to win 46 races combined is such an achievement.
“Fast Minardi is by far one of the fastest dogs I have trained, he continues to run times and do things better each run,” Paul said.