Hargreaves enjoying success in two states

Hargreaves, currently third on the Victorian state trainers' premiership standings behind only Strathfieldsaye's Julie Douglas and Ballarat's Emma Stewart, has picked up a trio of wins on Tasmanian tracks in the last few weeks with a pair of two-year-olds.

Back-to-back victories with the filly Extrinsic in June were followed this past Sunday by a win with the colt Magic Feeling at Hobart.

Hargreaves is no stranger to success on the Apple Isle. Another of her current crop of two-year-olds Lightning Jash scored two wins from as many starts at Launceston during the autumn.

Her combined successes have given the star young trainer the impressive stat-line of seven wins from nine starters in Tasmania this season.

Magic Feeling, who is currently under the care of Hargreaves' training partner Alex Ashwood's father Rodney, only arrived on Tasmanian soil a few days prior to Sunday's race, underpinning his tough performance in winning.

Hargreaves sees plenty of both short and long-term benefits from running their stable's youngsters in Tasmania.

"Number one, it's good prizemoney - they race for $10,000 or $12,000 a race, and two, it's weaker down there," she said.

"They are not having to front up and go 1:56 first-up, they go a bit slower.

"It's a combination of those things, and also, Alex and I feel that travelling horses when they are young will make them a better horse.

"Every horse we have sent over there I reckon has come back better, so when we get the opportunity to travel them when they are young, we'll do it."

Hargreaves gave plenty of praise to young reinsman Connor Crook for his three-winning drives on Extrinsic and Magic Feeling.

"Both those two-year-olds he has driven are a bit hard to handle and do things wrong, especially Extrinsic. She is a lot of hard work," she said.

"He's done a magnificent job - 10 out of 10 for all three drives."

Her job complete for now following a perfect two wins from two starts, Extrinsic is currently spelling in Tasmania before a planned return to Shelbourne.

Hargreaves said Magic Feeling would be given every chance to knock over another two-year-old win before treading the same path as his stablemate into the paddock.

Meanwhile, Hargreaves has earmarked an early-August return to the trials for stable favourite Well Defined, with a tilt at the Inter Dominion in New South Wales through November and December on the radar if he can capture his brilliant form of earlier this year.

The six-year-old gelding was spelled following his win in the $14,500 Mildura Trotters Cup in April and only recently returned to fast work.

Well Defined took all before him in the summer and autumn, breaking two track records and winning five country cups, starting with the $20,000 Ararat Trotters Cup in February, before victories at Terang, Boort, Wangaratta (at Shepparton) and Mildura.

He also finished second in the Cobram and Warragul cups and third in the Charlton and Horsham cups.

Hargreaves could not be more thrilled by his return.

"He has a real spring in his step, which I'm excited about," she said.

"The Inter Dominion is definitely on the radar for him. I feel the series will suit him and the way the trotting ranks are at the moment, it's very even.

"That's an aim, but we will see what happens as he is not the best traveller, so we will have to weigh it up as we go.

"That two months of hard racing (early in the year) has really seasoned him up, so I can see it in him. He's come back better than ever and is just a fully polished horse now."

Hargreaves has trained 66 Victorian winners this year, putting her on track to eclipse her extended 2019-20 season tally of 118.

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