Arty to miss Miracle Mile

By Adam Hamilton

Lochinvar Art will miss the Miracle Mile for the second successive year.

Connections have opted to spell the comeback superstar after he ran fifth in last Saturday night’s Hunter Cup at Melton.

It’s clear Lochinvar Art has come back well, but still a few lengths short of the pacer who was stunningly dominant in a 10-race streak (where he won nine and finished second in the other) including the 2021 Hunter Cup.

“He had almost 11 months out and it was always going to be a race against time to get him back for these big races,” Moran conceded.

“I’ve been tossing it in my head for a few days,” Moran said. “When I saw him in yard the other day, laying down. That told me he was a tired horse. He’s been great to us, he deserves a break and he’ll get it now.

“It won’t be long out, maybe three weeks or, then I’ll bring him back and we’ll have a crack at those big races in Queensland in Winter.”

Moran’s decision comes after just three comeback races with Lochinvar Art, the latest a fifth in the Hunter Cup last Saturday. He had spent 11 months sidelined with a hoof and then leg injury.

“He’s just not where he was at a year or so ago,” Moran conceded. “He’s not that far off it, but close is not good enough when you’re in the biggest races like this.

“It was always going to be a race against time for these races. I had to screw him down for them, but he couldn’t have gone either way.

“I think he’s just tired now. He’s had a long, slow build then two trials and three races in such a short time frame. It’s all caught up with him.

“He can have some time out now and I’ll bring him back up my way and we’ll have a crack at Queensland.”

Moran is adamant we can still the best of Lochinvar Art again.

“Even though this campaign didn’t work out as we hoped, there were lots of positives from it,” he said.

“His soundness is great. It’s just not an issue at all. And he’s shown he can still be very competitive, but it’s just that extra five per cent or so, that thing which made him so special before the setback. That’s what we need to get back. I think giving him a break and starting again will help a lot.”