Tact Teva looks to step it up again in Harness 7000
Matt Markham - Raceform • September 11th, 2025 3:30 PM • 4 min read
He couldn’t have been more impressive first-up from a lengthy break, but Tim Williams knows Tact Teva will have to be even better again this week when he returns to Addington Raceway.
The forgotten three-year-old of the Stonewall Stud line-up of rising stars hadn’t been seen publicly for just under a year when he bolted in two weeks ago, quickly reminding everyone of the talent he showed as a two-year-old when placing behind Marketplace.
Williams needed a wee reminder too – he hadn’t driven the horse for a year, with co-trainer Amanda Telfer handling the well-bred pacer through the majority of his work.
“I don’t think I’d driven him since he won his first race,” Williams told RaceForm. “Obviously he hadn’t had a trial or anything either, so it was a really good effort to get the job done given the journey he’s been through since he last raced.”
On the comeback toward an early three-year-old campaign, Tact Teva suffered a kick to the leg that left him a box for three months to recover. It’s been a slow and steady process to just get him back to the races.
“Mandy has always had a lot of time for him. It was a shame he got hurt when he did, because he’d shown he was capable of mixing it with the better ones.
“But we get our chance to show that now. I honestly think he’s a Derby horse. He’s a big, strong fella with a lot going for him.”
The difference between the win two weeks ago and Friday night’s Woodlands Stud Sires’ Stakes Harness 7000 feature is huge and a whole different ball game.
“It’s a massive step up for him, but he’s good enough – there’s no doubt about that.
“But he probably won’t just dominate it like he did the other night. He did leave the gate really easy though, so that gives us some options.”
Tact Teva is one leg of an impressive dance card that Williams gets to boast on Friday night, the majority of them Stonewall Stud runners.
Class three-year-old Bettor’s Anvil kicks off his campaign toward some major targets in a graded race, having lined up in last week’s dazzling cup class trial at Rangiora won by The Lazarus Effect.
“I thought he was good. He may have just come to the end of it about 50 metres off the post, but he’s gone well and he’s really improved off it.
“He’s a class horse, and we can drive him like that this week too. He doesn’t need to blast off the gate or anything. I’m expecting a big run.”
Smart mare Seaside Rose also resumes from a spell in a quality mares’ race, while Franco Ezra, Riptide, Bounce N Beyond and Edward Longshanks all give Williams a chance to improve on his already impressive 91 wins for the season.
