Two Kiwis into $1m Miracle Mile in Sydney

By Adam Hamilton 

New Zealand will have two Miracle Mile runners, but not the horses most expected.

Glamour pair Merlin and Don't Stop Dreaming failed to qualify when unplaced in their qualifying race last night, but Tact McLeod and Sooner The Bettor shone when it mattered to book their spots in next Saturday night’s $1 million feature at Menangle.

Merlin (sixth) and Don't Stop Dreaming both ran below their best in a super strong qualifier, finishing sixth and eighth respectively behind Jason Grimson’s dual NZ Cup winner Swayzee.

Merlin caused a false start at the first attempt from gate one when he got very fired-up, hung-in and got his head inside the starting gate.

He was much more tractable the second time and led, but had to scorch through a 25.1sec first quarter when outsider Nyack launched and attacked for the lead.

Driver Zachary Butcher then had no option but to hand over the front to Swayzee when he can hunting after 650m.

But the false start and early burn took its toll and Merlin just battled in the run home.

Don't Stop Dreaming also spent some early petrol and was then left parked for the second half of the race when Swayzee ran to the lead.

He was battling on the final bend and tired to finish 14m away.

A brilliant Anthony Butt drive somehow got Tact McLeod across from an outside draw (gate nine) and onto the pegs behind Merlin.

He got into the open at just the right time and looked set to beat Swayzee at the 150m.

But the race belonged to Swayzee and Tact McLeod had to settle for a brave second.

“He’s an unbelievable horse,” driver Cam Hart said of Swayzee. “The work he did out three-wide in that first quarter and he keeps charging, but that’s what champions can do.

“I never driven a horse with a will to win like him.

“He felt great on the line, better than he did at the 200m."

It sets the scene for the sixth clash between Swayzee and younger sibling Leap To Fame, who holds a 3-2 edge.

Former pin-up pacer Captain Ravishing grabbed with a late closing third at his first run for Grimson and gained a Miracle Mile start.

The second qualifier underlined the extraordinary depth of this Miracle Mile when Inter Dominion winner Don Hugo sat parked and still won in a blistering 1min48.8sec mile, just 0.2sec slower than Swayzee’s career best 1min48.6sec.

“To do that work and still win was huge. I couldn’t have been happier,” trainer-driver Luke McCarthy said.

“It’s going to be an amazing Miracle Mile when you throw Leap To Fame and Swayzee in, but give him a decent draw and he’ll be right in it.”

Former Miracle Mile winner Catch A Wave earned another tilt at the great race when he rocketed home from a clear last and out five and six wide to finish second to Don Hugo.

And Sooner The Bettor, who ran second to Leap To Fame in last year’s Miracle Mile, was back to his best with a terrific third in that qualifier.

Interestingly, the connections of last night's impressive Chariots Of Fire winner, Bay Of Biscay, declined the invitation to focus on the $2.1 million TAB Eureka later in the season.

MIRACLE MILE FIELD (not in barrier order): Leap To Fame, Swayzee, Don Hugo, Catch A Wave, Tact McLeod, Captain Ravishing, Sooner The Bettor, Max Delight. Emergencies: Sure Thing Captain and Bulletproof Boy.