Socks confirmed his status as the best three-year-old in Tasmania with a barnstorming win in tonight’s listed Tasmanian Guineas (1600m) at Launceston.

Despite settling well back in the field and being trapped wide throughout, the classy son of Keep the Faith still proved much too good for his rivals.

Now the winner of six of his nine lifetime starts, Socks made a long, sustained run and was still able to race to the front and cruise to a soft half length success.

Now the question for connections is whether or now Socks will run in the state’s blue riband, the Group Three Tasmanian Derby.

“We’ll see what happens,” trainer George Blacker said. “It’s another month away.”

“We’ll have a look. He got a lot further back than we thought today and there were signs he could stay.”

“He got back and then hit the line really well I thought.”

The quality three-year-old won two runs back at Launceston prior to his last start sixth in the listed Tasmanian Stakes against all comers when a highly fancied runner.

“I think he was a bit off colour in Hobart. We’ve got him right and he’s come through.”

“The way he ran tonight and got back and finished off – he might be a great chance in the Derby.”

Socks is raced by Charlie and Wendy Langmaid – they paid just $15,000 for him from the draft of Armidale Stud at the 2009 Magic Millions Tasmanian Yearling Sale.

He’s already earned over $196,000 and if a Derby jumps in that figure will continue to grow significantly.

The smile couldn’t be wiped off the face of Socks’ regular rider Kelvin Sanderson – “The Ice Man” as cool as ever after the latest win.

“I think he loves me,” Sanderson said. “I sure love him.”

“He did a good job today. He settled well. It was a very genuine tempo and when he made his run at them the horse felt awesome underneath me.”

“I give him a couple of cracks around the bum and he really stretched out and found the line.”

“Onwards and upwards,” Sanderson summed up.

Socks is the first stakes winner for his sire, the former classy Sunday Silence galloper Keep the Faith – a resident of Swettenham Stud.

His dam Count the Kisses, a winning daughter of Mukaddamah, was stakes placed and is a half sister to the group winning juvenile and Magic Millions Adelaide 2YO Classic placegetter Ashkaleta.

A half sister to Socks, by exciting young sire Helike, will go under the hammer as part of a quality draft from Armidale Stud at February’s Magic Millions Tasmanian Yearling Sale.

The filly, brown in filly and Super VOBIS (Tas) qualified, is catalogued as lot 98 for the February 22 auction at in the Inveresk Showgrounds.

Winner: Socks (Keep the Faith-Count the Kisses)
Race: TTC Tasmanian Guineas LR (1600m)
Sold for: $15,000
Sale: 2009 Magic Millions Tasmanian Yearling Sale
Vendor: Armidale Stud
Buyer: Charlie & Wendy Langmaid
Earnings: $196,575
Owners: Charlie & Wendy Langmaid
Trainer: George Blacker (Longford)