MASSIVE WIN: Jilliby Kung Fu scores a 1:48.8 mile win in tonight?s $200,000 Cordina Chicken Farms Chariots Of Fire at Tabcorp Park Menangle. Photo by Lett Photography
AN Australasian equal record run of 1:48.8 threw Jilliby Kung Fu right into the mix for the Ainsworth Miracle Mile in a fortnight following a fabulous win in tonight’s $200,000 Cordina Chicken Farms Chariots Of Fire.
It could be said the race was over in a flash at Tabcorp Park Menangle when this sensational Victorian pacer made light of his wide No 7 barrier and fired off the arm in stunning fashion to burn to the front with the polemarker, second favourite Let It Ride, having no choice but to surrender the front to the barnstorming Jilliby Kung Fu.
Yet this was a race that had to be earned and there was no way Amanda Turnbull and Atomic Red were going to hand the race to ‘Jilliby’ on a platter as they were quick to whip up outside the leader and make it a serious staying test.
With a first half of 55.6s (quarters of 27.4 and 28.2s) it was certainly no place for the faint-hearted.
Yet a third quarter of 26.6 did little to shake off his rivals and it was only in the closing stages that Let It Ride extricated himself from behind the leader and made a three-wide attack on the leader with Atomic Red wilting only slightly into third place after his hard run.
But the final split of 26.6 for a closing half of 53.2s told the story as Jilly Kung Fu equalled the track record of 1:48.8 set by Have Faith In Me in the 2016 Miracle Mile, defeating Let It Ride by 1.3m with Atomic Red 7.3m further back in third spot, just ahead of outsider Whittaker .
With a run like that there is little doubt Jilliby Kung Fu and his young reinsman Jason Lee have earned their berth against Australasia’s best pacers in the $750,000 Ainsworth Miracle Mile to be run on Saturday night, February 24.
That decision, according to Jason, is entirely up to ‘mum’, trainer Marg Lee.
“Opportunities like this may only come along once in a lifetime and if it is up to me and the horse pulls up OK, we’d be taking that invitation for sure,” he said.
“This horse has matured so much as a four-year-old from the young horse that just refused to run past other horses. Now he’s the full package.”
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION TELEPHONE CLUB MENANGLE RACING MANAGER DAVID WONSON ON (02) 4645 2200
