The Devonport Harness Racing Club will host its most exciting and richest night of the year on Friday.

The finals of the Tasmanian bred four-year-old features, the Granny Smith and Raiders Stakes, will headline a bumper 11-race card which will also feature the running of the $10,000 Max McCormack and the $10,000 Ulverstone Cup.

The $40,000 Entires and Geldings Stakes series carries the name of one of the most influential stallions to ever stand in Tasmania.

Raider, inducted into the Tasmanian Harness Racing Hall Of Fame in 2014, was foaled in 1929 and went on to become world dual gaited champion of both trotting and pacing.

Raider was purchased from America by Edgar Tatlow in 1939 and stood at Derby Lodge Stud at Hagley. He would go on to sire 370 winners and become the leading sire in Australia from 1948 to 1955.

Three of Tasmania's greatest pacers, Halwes, Golden Alley and Chamfer Star, are grandsons of the prodigious sire.

The Mares Stakes feature is named in honour of Granny Smith, a 1955 foal by Chamfer and bred by the legendary Sedric Loone. Granny Smith, a dual Devonport Cup winner, won 18 races including the 1963 Tasmanian Pacing Championship and a Burnie Cup.

Victorian trained mare After Lunch created a huge impression with a powerful win in her heat.

After Lunch will no doubt run as favourite in the final. 

The David Miles trained and driven mare was forced to sit in the death seat after a failed bid for the early lead, but surged clear in the run to the post to win by four metres from Shesastandout, with Ordainaire Jane third.

The Steve Davis trained and driven Tambros Milly is racing in a rich vein of form and will be out to make it four straight at Devonport after leading all the way in her heat, scoring by three and a half metres from Chica Bella, with Little Bit Of Big a head away third.

Hillview Jake and All Style Sammy fought out their heat of the Raider Stakes with only a metre separating the pair on the line.

The Paul Hill trained and driven Hillview Jake notched up his thirteenth victory, holding off the fast-finishing All Style Sammy, with the John Castles trained Spot Eight a close third.

Castles will have two runners in the final, with Art Of My Art taking out the slower of the two heats after enjoying the run of the race. 

Rohan Hillier parked the Art Colony – Old Sons Nell gelding in the one-out-one-back spot and timed his winning run to perfection, holding off the fast-finishing Timely Sovereign to win by a head.

The first race is set down for decision at 4.50 pm.

Live streaming from the track will be available by logging onto the tasracing.com.au website.

By Shane Yates

Reprinted with permission of The Advocate