Racing
Clark debutant drives punters nuts
The Dylan Clark-trained three-year-old gelding, Just Plain Nuts, slipped under the guard of most punters with a maiden win (1009m) on debut in Devonport on Monday.
Sent out as a $51 outsider, the victory by the son of Divine Prophet and Heroine wasn't easy, coming from a deceptive photo finish and surviving a protest from the second-place horse, Strato Ken ($6).
"I thought we got beat actually," said Dylan Clark after the race.
Just Plain Nuts had only been seen publicly on one occasion, finishing 15 lengths last in a Longford trial on 14 January. Despite the lack of market support, Clark said the win didn't come as a complete surprise.
"He's had a few jump-outs and stuff. We thought when he was scratched the other day (20 February) that he could win, but we thought he might've gone off a little bit. We were confident he'd run okay, but without getting too excited," Clark said.
Just Plain Nuts was taken to the front by jockey Kelvin Sanderson in the middle stages of the race and was forced to fight off a challenge from Strato Ken in the last 200m.
Sanderson enjoyed an outstanding recent Summer Racing Festival, with feature wins including the Newmarket, Tasmanian Guineas, and Devonport Cup.
"It's a funny game. Once your good horses go out, you start wondering where your next winner is coming from. You need luck," Sanderson said.
Tried horses to the fore
Sanderson won the opening two races on the seven-race card, teaming up with trainer Barry Campbell for a win aboard Rippington ($2.80) to start the day.
Rippington was one of four winners who began their careers outside of Tasmania, later joined by Bellsprout ($3.50), Hartman ($2.60) and Spring Bean ($4).
Initially purchased for $210,000 at the 2023 Gold Coast Yearling Sale, Rippington easily handled moderate opposition to win a 1350m maiden. However, a 5-length victory indicates this might not be his last win in the state.
"He's probably a horse that just wanted a bit of time. He's a well-bred horse; they paid a lot of money for him," Barry Campbell said.
Rippington originally started his career in NSW with trainer Chris Waller, as did Hartman, Campbell's other winner on the program.
Monday's Devonport card was the first meeting at the venue since Cup Day on 7 January, and racing now won't return to the synthetic surface until 3 May.
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