Emma Stewart storms Tasmania with quartet of winners

EMMA STEWART has left her mark on Tasmania in no uncertain terms.

The Cardigan trainer landed a quartet of wins at Launceston on Sunday night, including the $20,000 City of Launceston Cup, 2698m.

MAJOR SECRET ($1.10 favourite) marked his return from a lengthy spell with a crushing performance in the Cup, in which he scored by 21m and ran his last 800m is an effortless 28.4 and 28.1 seconds.

The raid had all the hallmarks of similar visits to the Apple Isle by the father of Stewart’s partner Clayton Tonkin – former premier trainer Peter Tonkin.

Peter Tonkin regularly campaigned horses successfully in Tasmania’s feature races, with the likes of Manwarra Maker (2004 Devonport Cup) and Village Of Dreams (2009 Australian Derby) among winners.

Maffioso, Robin Hood and Devilish Smile were other topliners he took to Tasmania.

For Major Secret, it was his first race start since the Victoria Cup in January at the end of a campaign which landed the Geelong and Horsham Cups.

Stewart’s other winners came in the form of 4yo mare ISNTSHEJUST ($1.40 favourite), 5yo entire APACHE SHARK ($1.30 favourite) and 3yo filly MASTERKOVA ($1.10 favourite), which is unbeaten in two starts,

Isntshejust, which has four wins in five starts, and Apache Shark, which has 12 wins in 18 starts, are raced by the Kiel family from Swan Hill.

Chris Alford drove all four winners at Launceston.