30 March 2024
by Duncan Dornauf for Tasracing

Driver Charlie Castles expects Gordons Bay to run well in Saturday night’s Group 3 Ladbrokes Easter Cup (2698m) in Launceston.

The six-year-old Captaintreacherous gelding is a multiple Menangle winner, including two $100,000 races during the NSW Regional Series, where he won the Metropolitan and State Finals.

The pacer arrived in the state in late December and was under Todd Rattray’s care, but after a change of ownership, it was transferred to the John Castles stable.

John’s nephew Charlie was pleased with the pacer’s most recent effort when third behind Melanion in a heat last week.

“He showed that he is up with them with the right sort of run, and I think he will get his chance drawing two this week.

“The way he was hitting the line the last 50m I think he would have finished closer if he got out earlier. He is the sort of horse that you have got to save him up,” Charlie said.

The pacer has had limited standing start racing and was tardy away from the tapes in last week’s heat, galloping away for a short distance after the start.

“He normally paces away, but we will pull him up a few extra holes on Saturday. I reckon he will be okay. He is getting practice at home, and I’m not too worried about it,” said the driver.

When working for trainer James Rattray in New South Wales, Charlie had previously driven the pacer.

“I took him to Victoria for the Breeders Crown when I worked for James, and I liked the horse back then, and I still do. He suits my driving style a bit, which helps,” said the driver.

James Rattray prepares the race favourite Star Major, who was the quickest of last week’s heat winners. He wasn’t out of second gear when scoring by nine meters in a mile rate of 2:01.6s. The heat was won by the Dean Braun-trained pacer Melanion, who recorded a mile rating of 2:02.8s.

Early market: $2.00 Star Major, $2.60 Melanion, $8.50 Gordons Bay and Miss Papenjuyzen, $14 All By Myself, $19 Cool Water Paddy, Jimmy The Irishman and James Cagney, $26+ Others.

The time-honoured Easter Cup was first staged in 1917 and has been the premier event for the Launceston Pacing Club. It is the second leg of a $20,000 Quaddie on the local tote, which will be held on races five through to eight.

The 10-race program, that also includes the $20,000 Keith Stanley Debutante, $20,000 Allan Williams Memorial, $20,000 Jane Ellen Final and the $20,000 Sinbad Bay Final, commences at 18:11 and will be live hosted on TasracingTV, with Sky Racing 2 showing the first two races, with the last eight to be shown on Sky Racing 1.

Recent Easter Cup winners:

2023 Sunny Sanz (10m) – Gareth Rattray
2022 Longfellow – Mark Pitt
2021 Scooterwillrev – Gareth Rattray
2020 Not Held – COVID
2019 Franco Tristan (10m) – Gavin Lang
2018 Harjeet – Todd Rattray
2017 Pachacuti (40m)- Todd Rattray
2016 Riverboat Jasper – John Walters