KATE Gath is shocked, but in a really good way.
Gath feared reigning Miracle Mile champ Catch A Wave – the best pacer she and husband Andy have trained – had fractured a leg in last night’s Geelong Rocket.
But an extensive veterinary inspection this morning (Saturday) left Team Gath shaking their heads and pinching themselves.
“It’s nothing serious. They went right over him and all they found was a corn. They cut it out and he seems good,” Kate Gath said.
“He’ll miss Sydney, but they say he’ll be right to go again in a couple of weeks.
“It’s a massive relief. I can’t believe it after the way he was straight after the race (last night).
“Once we got him back to the stalls, he couldn’t put his foot down. He took a couple of steps and the vet said ‘don’t let him walk any more.
“I feared the worst. It seemed bad. As Andy said, he was four-out-of-five lame.
“He was medicated and we took him back home. He ate-up and seemed well, but you wondered how much of that was the medication.”
Fear turned to slight optimism when Andy and Kate saw Catch A Wave early this morning.
“He seemed bright and was pawing the ground with the (offside front) foot,” Kate said.
“The medication should’ve worn off by then, so we started to hope it wasn’t as serious as we first thought.
“I still couldn’t believe it when Andy rang from the vet saying it was just a corn. It’s pretty much the best possible result.”
Catch A Wave is one of Australia’s top pacers with 33 starts netting 19 wins, six placings and almost $1.3mil in prize money.
After a stellar juvenile career, the gelding shot to stardom winning the huge Chariots Of Fire and Miracle Mile double at Menangle this time last year.
Last night’s Geelong Rocket was won by locally owned Mach Dan, who will now chase the Miracle Mile.
The Emma Stewart-trained speedster will tackle one of the two qualifying sprints at Menangle next Saturday night.
Australasia’s top pacer Leap To Fame booked his spot straight into the Miracle Mile with yet another dominant win in last night’s $100,000 Group 2 Newcastle Mile.
The five-year-old pushed forward from a wide draw to find the lead and cruised to a 6.1m win in a 1min51.9sec mile.
Leap To Fame stretched his record to a remarkable 44 starts for 34 wins, eight placings and $2,215,957.
He will try to create history in the Miracle Mile by becoming the first pacer to win Australia’s “Triple Crown” – the Inter Dominion, Hunter Cup and Miracle Mile – in the one campaign.
“It’s great we’ve now got a couple of weeks between runs instead of having to race before the Miracle Mile, that’s why we targeted Newcastle,” trainer-driver Grant Dixon said.
“We tossed up whether to keep him in NSW, but took him back home. We got back (to Tambourine) just after lunchtime and we’ll keep him here as long as we can before heading to Menangle.”
Dixon conceded the Miracle Mile would be Leap To Fame’s biggest challenge yet.
“There’s no doubt he’s best suited in the staying races and there’s some outstanding young pacers he’ll face (in the Miracle Mile),” he said. “He’ll need a good draw and plenty of luck.”
