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North versus south rivalry is common across all Tasmanian sport and racing certainly isn’t immune.
North versus south rivalry is common across all Tasmanian sport and racing certainly isn't immune.
Tasmania's three main thoroughbred tracks are spread across different parts of the state, Hobart (south), Launceston (north) and Devonport (north-west), which afford trainers in the various areas a geographical advantage depending on where the race meetings are run each week.
In recent times Hobart programs have been dominated by the state's Premiership leading trainer Scott Brunton who added five winners last Sunday and his Seven Mile Beach stables are only around 30km from Ladbrokes Park Elwick.
Leading northern-based trainers Adam Trinder and John Blacker have saddled up 227 and 255 runners respectively this season, but didn't supply a single runner between them to last Sunday's Hobart meeting, perhaps preferring to focus on upcoming races closer to home.
At the return meeting in Devonport on 11 April all eight races were won by northern-based trainers and six of those by horses trained on the track.
Undoubtedly there is an advantage in not having to travel horses a long distance to attend the races and for the most part that comes through in the statistics for this season's leading trainers.
Below are the top 10 trainers on this season's Premiership table and their winning strike rate at each of the main Tasmanian thoroughbred tracks for 2020/21 to date.
| Trainer | Winners | Overall Strike Rate | Hobart | Launceston | Devonport |
| Scott Brunton | 72 | 18.40% | 22.80% | 16.00% | 15.30% |
| Adam Trinder | 44 | 19.40% | 10.50% | 22.00% | 16.40% |
| Leanne Gaffney | 33 | 22.90% | 12.50% | 15.10% | 36.30% |
| Staurt Gandy | 24 | 14.00% | 5.30% | 16.70% | 17.00% |
| Siggy Carr | 24 | 16.80% | 8.30% | 26.80% | 3.00% |
| John Blacker | 23 | 9.00% | 4.00% | 7.60% | 11.30% |
| Glenn Stevenson | 23 | 19.50% | 27.30% | 19.00% | 17.00% |
| Team Wells | 20 | 7.10% | 2.20% | 9.30% | 7.30% |
| Bill Ryan | 13 | 25.50% | 16.70% | 15.40% | 42.10% |
| Tegan Keys | 11 | 12.20% | 21.20% | 4.90% | 13.30% |
Local trainer Leanne Gaffney has a staggering strike rate for the season on her home track, while Longford-based Bill Ryan, albeit off a small base of runners, is similarly putting up some eye-catching numbers.
While not an exact science, early into a sustained stretch of Devonport racing through autumn and winter, punters on Sunday may look towards horses with proven form on the Devonport tapeta surface.
This was certainly the case at the most recent Devonport meeting where seven of the eight winners had at least placed at the track previously, the only exception being Rising Hsiang who had not raced in Devonport, but is trained nearby at Wesley Vale by Glenn Stevenson.
