LETS Play Ball was an aptly-named winner of the first race at Tamworth Paceway last Thursday as the Queensland pacer's presence and success highlighted his stable allegiance to a NSW venue.
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The Julie Weidemann-trained gelding led all the way, the three-year-old driven by Julie's sister Lola to a 1.25m win in the TAB Rewards Pace (1609m) from the Aaron Garaty-trained Cobra Benalong.
It started a big day for the sisters who drove two truckloads of pacers from their stables at Clifton (near Toowoomba) on Thursday morning.
Lola told on-course interviewer and Tamworth Harness Racing Club deputy chairman Mark Lowe she and her sister had elected to forgo the Redcliffe meeting in favour of Tamworth.
Normally they would have runners at that meeting but had found in recent weeks they were being balloted out.
"So instead of making three trips there we decided to come here," she said of a red-letter day where they started 19 runners. We'd rather come here anyway."
Lowe also asked her if the 19 runners were the biggest number they had brought to Tamworth for one meeting.
"The biggest number we've ever started anywhere," Lola replied.
Lets Play Ball had placed at his last two Tamworth starts as well, so breaking through made it a good start to a big day.
"He's had a few little problems," Lola admitted of the son of American Ideal.
"We've started to sort them out. I think he's starting to turn a real big corner."
A race later and Lola was able to extract longshot Chariot Duchess from a pocket behind Garaty and runner-up Crystal Ocean to race away to a 3.25m win for owner Norm Soles.
Chariot Duchess's last win had been at Tamworth way back in December 2014 and "hadn't raced for a long time" when sent to the Weidemanns.
"She needed a few runs," Lola Weidemann said.
To cap it off, the sisters' niece Stacey Weidemann drove Jogalong Stingray to a 3.75m win from stablemate Dontbefoolish in the Geoff Newling Appreciation Pace (1609m).
The Tamworth club completed an eight-race TAB meeting with its Psarakis Accounting Marathon (2370m) and Millenium Signs Pace (1609m).
Tamworth pacer Idle Hands was a brilliant winner of the Marathon while Dehillman gave Murray Sullivan a driving double when the Jarred Hetherington-trained gelding hung on for a 1m win.
Tamworth races again on Thursday, August 4, nominations for which close at 9.30am on July 29.
